Secrets Are Never Kept Forever
by Greenhough15
Summary: Jane has had to hide who she truly was since she was 10. Only her family knew of who she truly was and what she could do. It seemed like a curse when she was younger, so she chose to act as though it didn't exist. Sometimes being a genius isn't always the best thing in the world.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N – This story is based from the work stared by Annajadekin. They asked me to write their story they started called 'Secrets Are Never Kept For Forever'. I hope you guys like it. There will be dialogue from the show, but I am trying to use as little as possible. Disclaimer: I don't own Rizzoli and Isles and all right should be going to TNT.**

Jane Rizzoli, 28 year old, Boston Homicide Detective. Most people know Jane for her badass and snarky attitude. But what no one knew was what she had kept hidden since she was but 10 years old. Normally, people would be excited about being intelligent. About knowing what people are talking about all the time, and knowing more facts to go with the topics. But when it came to Jane Rizzoli, that excitement and pride had be knocked aside for shame and fear. Fear of how people would treat her. She learnt from a very young age that people could be incredibly cruel. That, when people didn't like or understand something, they would lash out and destroy any part of that unique person.

When Jane met Maura on their first case together, she instantly felt admiration for the woman. She could see that Maura was similar to herself. Incredibly intelligent, and quirky. But the difference between Jane and Maura, was Maura didn't try to hide what she clearly had. Maura wore her intelligence like she wore her designer dresses. With confidence and determination. Jane looked upon Maura, and tried to figure out how someone could be so resilient towards all the people that didn't understand. But she made certain that she would stand by Maura. Support Maura. If ever hearing condescending or derogatory comments towards Maura, Jane would be there defending her like a guard dog.

They had just caught a new case. Katie Gaynor-Randle, was found dead at the back of a lesbian bar. The two instantly fell into their rolls in the case. As Jane canvased the area, Maura started inspecting the body. The two of them had started to form a little routine of their own. Maura would inspect the body, and would then report her initial findings to Jane. But she would never be one to make assumptions about anything. Even if it they were the most blaringly obvious thing in the world. For starters, the 'reddish brown stain' was never blood until Maura could run the tests back at the lab. What caught both of their eyes, was the device attached to the victims hip.

"The pagers totalled." Jane mumbled. She didn't have a clear look at it from where she was standing, and even if she did, she wouldn't have called it what it was.

"It's not a pager. It's a glucose-management system. An insulin pump." Over the years Jane had gotten use to listening to Maura correct her. Jane had to learn to walk the fine line between intelligent and incompetent. She needed to show enough smarts so people didn't think she was a complete idiot, but not so much that it would arouse suspicion.

"So she was diabetic?" _Duh._

"Indeed." Maura looked up at Jane, and could see the thoughtful expression across her face. Maura had always been good at reading people. She learnt when she was in school and she never had any friends. Maura learnt how to read people to understand what they were feeling when they were around her. So she had picked up on how to read a person's expression. But she always found it difficult to tell what Jane was feeling. She was a guarded and closed off person, and it made it hard for Maura to get to know her. "Huh. Yeah. Needle sticks. She probably had to check her glucose level five to ten times a day." Reaching over to the purse, Maura pulled out a small book. "Yeah, she kept careful records. Her last glucose reading was over four hundred." Jane turned away for a second to catch herself. Her initial reaction was ' _Shit that is way too high_ ' but she replied with,

"Is that good or bad?" It was about the only thing she could think to say. She always tried to make it seem as though Maura knew more than her, which meant constantly having to ask stupid questions.

"It's extremely high." Jane could have grumbled at Maura's response. That doesn't really help her much.

"Is that good or bad?" She repeated.

"Bad. She wasn't getting any insulin. She…" Maura looked up as she heard Jane jump in and cut her off.

"Probably had slurred speech. Trouble walking. That must explain why there isn't any defensive wounds. She couldn't defend herself." Jane caught Maura's gaze, and suddenly realised what she had said. Being the sneaky person she was, she was able to think on her feet. "What? I had an Uncle who had diabetes. I use to see him every New Year, and that never ended well." Maura stared at Jane. She wasn't completely convinced.

"So you knew the symptoms, but you didn't understand the numbers?" Maura questioned Jane. Jane suddenly felt much more pressured. She knew she had slipped and tried to cover it as best she could. But she forgot Maura could be very persistent when she chose to be. Without answering Maura's question, Jane turned around and started talking to Frost about the murder weapon. Maura noticed how Jane reacted to being called out on knowing something like that. She had known Jane long enough to know that she doesn't spout out facts like that. She thought maybe it was just a one off, and Jane's excuse was true. But Maura was certain to be keeping an eye on Jane.

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They called in the spouse, Mel, and interrogated her. Just from the sounds of it she had a pretty solid alibi. Jane and Frost headed back up to the main room, and started brainstorming about any other viable suspects. Frost was off doing his IT work, which left Jane just sitting there twiddling her thumbs. She jumped up from her chair and started heading towards the elevator.

"Hey where are you going?" Frost called to her before she reached the doors.

"I'm going down to the morgue to see if Maura's got anything for us. Call if you need me." And she was gone. Jane found herself spending half her time down in the morgue. She found she was able to think better when she was with Maura. When she spoke to anyone, she felt like she was speaking to a brick wall. A lot of the time people weren't able to think of things as fast as Jane could. She never kept information secret if it could help the case, but otherwise, she kept her mouth shut. But when she was talking to Maura, she didn't have to stand there silent for so long because Maura was doing the talking for her. It was as though Maura could hear Jane's thoughts, and she was able to say them for her.

Jane stood just outside the morgue doors. She was looking in watching Maura work. She was so delicate and graceful with her movements. She could see that Maura cared for the victim's bodies the same way a mother would care for her child. Jane always had a feeling of warmth whenever she was with Maura, or thought of her, or even just got to watch her doing everyday things. She shook her head trying to clear her thoughts. She needed her head in the game if she was going to work this case properly. Pushing open the door, she went into her snarky mode. It was her only way she wouldn't blurt something out by accident. She had already slipped up once recently, and she had no intentions of doing it again.

"You do realise she doesn't have to worry about the scar."

"Don't rush me." Maura whined. She loved having Jane around, but she could be rather a pain at times.

"Well multi task then. Do what women were born to do that men have never been able to learn. Now do you have a time of death for me?" Without looking up Maura continued to finish stitching up the body.

"The liver temperature I took hepatically was 88.4 degrees."

"So she was killed between 11 and 12 hours ago?" Maura's head snapped up and looked at Jane. Maura stood up straight and stared right at Jane.

"Yes. How did you know that?" Jane's eyes went so wide, Jane thought her eyes would bug out of her head. She was struggling to keep her mind shut off whenever she was around Maura. Maura never judged anyone. It made Jane forget that she needed to hide herself from the world. Jane looked down and started shifting from one foot to the next.

"I guess I've listened to you often enough to pick up a few things." Jane's voice broke and betrayed herself. Maura studied Jane's facial features, and picked up on her signature tell tail signs.

"Jane, don't lie to me. What's going on with you?" Maura could see Jane was becoming increasingly uncomfortable. As much as she hated causing Jane such discomfort, she needed to know what Jane was hiding from her.

"Maura...You know me better than anyone. Ever. But there are just somethings I don't want people knowing about me."

"While that may be the case Jane, I don't feel happy that you are not telling me something. I don't want to pressure you, but knowing you aren't telling me something…I just don't like it." Jane took a deep breath trying to really think about whether or not she should tell Maura. Maura was quite possibly the only other person Jane truly trusted. They would talk about anything and everything for hours on end. When Jane kept thinking it over in her head, she started rubbing the back of her hands. One of the nervous habits she had picked up over the years. Maura looked down at Jane's hands, and her heart started to twinge. She knew the reasons why Jane would be doing that, and the guilt immediately over took her. "Jane, I'm sorry I just…"

"No, I understand Maura. I wouldn't like it if someone was lying to me." Maura sagged her shoulders in defeat but still looked at Jane's hands.

"At least stop rubbing your hands like that. You'll end up doing more damage than already has been done." At that comment, the only thing Jane could think of was a memory from a few years ago with Frankie.

" _Jane, can you get the foam ball from my room?" Frankie yelled from where he sat in the living room. Jane strolled in from the kitchen and stood at the side of the couch._

" _Frankie, you ripped a tendon in your knuckle. You didn't break your legs." Frankie paused the TV, and looked up at Jane. A look of pure innocence on his face._

" _Yes, but Ma doesn't like it when I move. She says she doesn't want me to hurt anything else." The look he was giving Jane had her blood boiling. Frankie and Tommy were the two angel children. They could do no wrong. Jane may have been the brainiac, but that didn't stop her parents from treating her brothers like fragile glass babies all the time. Angela never wanted her children to do anything dangerous. If she had the option she would wrap them all up in bubble wrap. But Jane shot that idea down before Angela could even think about going to get the bubble wrap._

" _You know if you keep doing the exercises as frequently as you are, you'll end up doing more damage than you already have." Frankie's brows furrowed in confusion. His physio had told him to work on his hand. Do some exercises. Massage the skin. Just keep the hand moving._

" _What are you talking about?"_

" _You've worked with the ball for about three hours already today. All you're doing is stretching the tendon. What you're not doing is keeping the tendon from healing back attached to the skin. You need to do less moving work, and more massaging of the hand. If you move the skin around, it means the tendon won't get the chance to heal to the skin. Which means when you do actually recover properly you should have a more full range of motion. It won't hurt so much to make a fist or flex your fingers." There was a small look of horror on Frankie's face, and Jane couldn't help but laugh at the look on his face._

" _In that case then, would you mind getting me the cream from the draw in the kitchen." He pointed over his shoulder, and Jane just made her way back to the kitchen without another word. Her brothers were a pain in her ass the most of the time, but she never wanted them to be in pain. As she walked back into the kitchen she found her Ma preparing dinner._

" _Why do you always have to treat Frankie and Tommy like their still 2 years old? They can look after themselves."_

" _I don't treat them like their 2. I treat them like they are my children." Jane moved to the draw holding the cream. "And just because I baby them doesn't mean you won't still be my little princess." Angela moved over to Jane and tried to press a kiss to the side of Jane's head. But being the stubborn person she was, Jane just pushed her Ma away._

"Jane?" Jane shook her head out of her thoughts and saw Maura standing right in front of her, holding Jane's hands to keep her from rubbing them endlessly. "Where did you go?" Jane gave her a small smile, but even she didn't believe it. It was the smile you pull when you pass a stranger in the street. Or when you are in the most awkward situation ever and have no idea what else to do.

"Nowhere. Just something you said reminded me of something. And by the way, rubbing at an injury like this," Jane held her hands up to gesture to the injury in hand. Or on it in this case. "Actually is better for me than leaving them alone. I just shouldn't be rubbing them without cream or quite so hard I guess."

"See. Its comments like that, that don't seem right. Jane, what are you not telling me?" Jane took a deep breath. She was going to do it. Maura would be the first person in eighteen years to learn of her secret. She opened her mouth and was about to talk when the door behind them flew open, and Korsak came strolling in.

"Hey. Just wanted to make sure you hadn't joined the good doctor's collection." Korsak said as he entered the morgue. His comment was directed at Jane. Maura looked from Korsak back to Jane and could see that any chance she had of knowing the truth were gone for the time being. Jane was nervous enough when it was just the two of them. She knew she had no chance of getting anything out of Jane whilst there was someone else in the room. "Did I interrupt something?" Korsak asked as her looked at their hands still joined together. Jane pulled her hands away so fast, you could almost hear the whoosh of the air moving past them.

"No. Nothing. Maura was just explaining what she had found on the body." Jane couldn't bring herself to look in the eyes of either of the other two people in the room. Maura decided not to go any further with the topic for the moment. But she would be certain to continue the conversation with Jane at a later time. Turning back to the body on her table she started explaining how she found deerskin fibres, and she believed that the assault and rape occurred post-mortem. Korsak took note of everything Maura said and headed back upstairs. Jane told him she would be up in a moment. She just needed another moment with Maura.

"Maura, I'm sorry but…I just…"

"Come to my house this evening. We can order a pizza. Watch a movie. Talk, or not. Whatever you want to do. Just come get me when you plan to leave this evening." Jane understood what Maura was doing. She was giving Jane an out. And opportunity to forget everything that had happened just moments ago. "But I do expect an answer as to why you are lying to me. Or at least not telling me something." Or not. Jane resigned to herself. She nodded her head slowly. She knew it was the right thing to do. As well as the fairest thing. She couldn't keep lying to Maura. She felt bad having done it when Maura was unaware. But now she knew something was up, and she couldn't lie to her anymore. "Thank you."

"I better get back upstairs. Frost is probably wondering where I got off to." Jane turned and headed for the door. With her hand on the doorknob, she looked over her shoulder, and whispered out, "Thank you Maura. I'll see you tonight." Even though Jane knew she still had to face the truth, Maura had given her time to cope and prepare herself for the night ahead. As Jane made her way back upstairs, she suddenly realised, Maura would be the first person she told her secret to since she was 10. Jane had kept this secret with her for so long now, and it dawned on her. For the first time, in a long time, Jane was nervous. Jane was scared. She wasn't scared about how Maura would react. It scared her how it could change their relationship. But she had to trust Maura that everything would be alright.

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 **A/N – Okay, hope you enjoyed Chapter 1. How do you think things will go? Leave me reviews and I hope you enjoyed the stories. Goodbye my lovelies.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N – To the reviewer stating that this story was similar to that of** **CrackdownDraco - The Language of Love, I have never read that story. I plan to continue with this story and take it my own way. Anything I write is my own ideas and I want to make that perfectly clear to everyone.**

 **Rant over. Enjoy.**

" _I better get back upstairs. Frost is probably wondering where I got off to." Jane turned and headed for the door. With her hand on the doorknob, she looked over her shoulder, and whispered out, "Thank you Maura. I'll see you tonight." Even though Jane knew she still had to face the truth, Maura had given her time to cope and prepare herself for the night ahead. As Jane made her way back upstairs, she suddenly realised. She wasn't scared to tell Maura the truth. She knew that even if Maura knew the truth, she wouldn't hate her. She wouldn't judge her. Maura would accept her for who she was. With that thought in mind, Jane looked forward to seeing Maura that evening._

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Jane spent the rest of her shift sitting at her desk staring at paperwork. She knew she needed to get on with her work, but her mind was stuck on how she was going to explain everything to Maura. How Maura would react. She was hoping it wouldn't turn out badly, but her biggest fear was how it could change her friendship with Maura. Jane didn't have many friends. And none of those friends were people she trusted enough to know of her secret. The only people that knew, were her family. And even they weren't too happy about it. Frankie and Tommy both envied Jane. Their parents may have babied the two boys their whole lives, but Angela always held Jane in a slightly different light to the two of them. Frank Sr never approved of Jane being so smart. He always saw her as being abnormal. He wanted extraordinary children. Not children he needed to hide away from the world. But Angela loved the fact that Jane had such intelligence. Most of the time she would encourage it. When Jane was younger Angela tried to encourage Jane to skip a year. Everyone knew she was smart enough to do it, but Jane didn't want to give people another reason to bully her.

"You alright there partner?" Frost shook Jane from her thoughts when he saw she had been staring at the same piece of paper for the past 20 minutes.

"Yeah. Just got some stuff I need to think about, and it doesn't exactly help when we have a case we need to be solving." Jane rattled off. She was starting to get a bit frustrated with everything going on. She wasn't getting anywhere with the case, and she had the threat of possibly losing Maura as a friend. Jane turned her head as she heard the clicking of heels coming their way. Maura came through the door with a bag in her hands. "What's this?" Maura placed the bag down on Jane's desk and rested herself against it.

"I brought you lunch. I know how you often forget to eat properly, so I thought I would save you the trouble of feeling bad later and save me the trouble of having to inform you of the issues bad dietary routines can have on the body. So eat." Jane stared at Maura like she was an idiot. Without saying anything she turned back to her computer screen and actually started doing some work. "That wasn't the only reason I came up here. I extracted the killers DNA from the murder weapon."

"So who is he?"

"Well, there was no matching CODIS. But it's not a he. It's a she." Jane's eyebrows shot up into her hairline.

"The killers a woman?" Maura simply nodded her head. She started playing with the bag on the table as her nerves were beginning to get to her. She had questions she was desperate to ask Jane, but she knew she had to wait to this evening before she could ask anything.

"If you would like to come down to the lab with me, I have some more findings I think you'll like." Jane nodded then looked over to Frost.

"Try and come up with a list of woman who may have wanted Katie dead. Ex-girlfriends. Homophobe's. Anyone."

"Sure. No problem." Jane and Maura left the desk and started heading for the elevator. Maura picked up the bag she had brought with her just in case Jane did decide to eat in the end. Maura placed the bag on the desk in her office and made her way through to the lab. As she entered the room she had a thought. She was going to try and bait Jane. Maybe try and get her to slip up again. She felt bad for tricking Jane. But she wanted to be certain that what she was hearing earlier wasn't just a fluke.

"You know the deerskin fibres we lifted from the murder weapon?" She asked as she walked through the doors with Jane trailing behind her.

"Yeah. They were off the killer's glove."

"The seams were breached, and the DNA tests confirm the sweat was from a female."

"Yeah. We know all this already. Doesn't change anything. Just means there was a male accomplice there who raped her." Maura shook her head.

"The injuries are consistent with a non-biological phallus shaped object." Maura knew she was using the complicated term for it. But she has used the same words to numerous people before, and they all looked at her like she was some form of computer on wheels. She wanted to see if Jane knew what she was going on about. Jane tilted her head down and lowered her voice to barely above a whisper.

"You mean a dildo?" Maura tried not to smirk. Both from the fact that Jane seemed embarrassed about saying it, as well as the fact that her little test had come up correct. Jane didn't think anything of calling the object what it was. She figured most people would understand it. But in this instance, Maura had the superior knowledge.

"Yes, I believe that is the popular term." Jane stood and thought for a moment.

"Okay, so she wasn't raped. Which would have normally meant a hate crime. She wasn't robbed, we ruled that out already. I'm beginning to think this was personal." Jane looked back at Maura, and saw her staring over her shoulder at the bag still sitting on her office desk. "Maura, why did you really bring me lunch earlier? Because if you wanted me to eat you would have dragged me down to the café to get some food." Maura's head snapped back to look at Jane, with panic in her eyes. Jane knew she couldn't lie, which made asking her question easier. When she saw Maura beginning to panic she placed her hands on either one of Maura's shoulders. "Okay, look. You asked me a question earlier and I didn't answer. I asked you a question, and you can do what I am doing. We can answer each other's question tonight. Sound fair?" Maura took a deep breath desperately trying to calm her nerves. She slowly nodded her head, and saw the understanding in Jane's eyes. "Okay. Well, I'm going to head upstairs and fill the guys in on what's going on. Maybe they already have something. I'll come by the morgue and pick you up about 6 alright?" Maura didn't trust her voice at this point so she simply nodded once more. "Okay. I'll see you later then." Jane gave Maura's shoulder one last squeeze before making her way back upstairs. Maura let out a deep breath she didn't even know she was holding. She was practically shaking. Admittedly she hated that Jane was keeping secrets from her. But she couldn't really be one to talk. Maura was keeping secrets of her own. And she was as scared as Jane was about letting them out.

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Jane waltzed into the computer room where Frost and Korsak were working. She looked up at the screen and saw all the dating sights Katie was on. They worked out she must be cheating. They found the message sent to her the day she was killed. With another dead end at not being able to trace the IP addresses, Jane huffs and stands there thinking. Whilst she does that, Frost looks from the image Katie used, to Jane. And he noticed the very strong similarities between them. Frost and Korsak did what they could to try and convince Jane to make an online dating profile but Jane was having none of it and walked away. Jane headed down to the precinct café and found her mother behind the till.

"Hey Ma."

"Janie. How are you doing? Making a break through on the case?" Jane rolled her eyes. She had become accustomed to her Ma trying to get information from her, but Angela should have known better by now.

"Ma, you know I can't talk to you about the case." Angela's shoulders sagged as she figured there wouldn't be any point in trying to argue with Jane. "Can I just get a latte with a double espresso shot?" Angela looked at Jane with fury in her eyes. "Please?" But that wasn't what Angela was looking for.

"Jane! Do you have any idea what drinking all that coffee will do to you?"

"Yes Ma. It stimulates the production of hydrochloric acid in my body when I drink on an empty stomach, which I am. Because I'm producing the hydrochloric acid on an empty stomach, when I actually have a full stomach, it doesn't produce it in the same way. It could cause heartburn and reflux. And to top it all off, it could actually cause me to be more stressed, as it releases stress hormones such as cortisol, epinephrine and norepinephrine. But guess what Ma. I'm tired and thirsty so I want my shot of coffee, please." Angela just glared at Jane with those eyes that could kill someone from a hundred paces. Jane flinched slightly at the look. Angela started moving around behind the counter getting Jane her coffee.

"You know, I love the fact that you're so smart, but I hate it when you use it against me like that."

"Well you should have learnt by now not to ask me questions like that. I will answer them. Its force of habit with you guys. I only just manage to keep it quiet when I'm around my team. Oh, that reminds me." Jane stopped so she knew she had her Ma's full attention.

"What is it Janie?" Angela stopped everything she was doing and leant against the counter so she could hear everything Jane was going to say.

"I think Maura is starting to work it out." Angela's eyes shot wide open.

"How could she figure it out? You've been working so hard to keep it a secret."

"Well, I feel comfortable around Maura. So much so I forget sometimes that she doesn't know about it. I may or may not have slipped up a couple times." Angela almost jumped over the counter trying to swat Jane round the head. But Jane was too quick. She darted back and out of the way of Angela's flailing arm.

"How could you do that? After everything we did to keep your secret." With Angela back on her side of the counter with both feet on the floor, Jane stepped back up to the counter with a bit of a defensive stance, ready to move again if she needed to.

"Would you relax? If anyone is going to understand my secret it will be Maura. She understands me. She is the same as me. But she just went through it differently." Angela huffed at listening to Jane's words.

"I suppose so. But if she freaks out on you, you need to learn to deal with it. There is no chance on this earth I am letting you move because Maura couldn't handle the secret. We are all finally settled down here. You have your own place. As does Frankie. Tommy still needs some work but he'll get there."

"Ma. Would you quit worrying? I am going round to Maura's tonight to tell her everything, and I'm sure everything will be fine. I trust her." Jane wasn't sure if she was trying to convince her Ma or herself. Either way, she didn't think it was working.

"Well good. You need someone in your life who you can really trust." Angela passed Jane a to-go cup with her coffee in it. When Jane took her first sip she almost spat it back out.

"You only put one shot of espresso in this didn't you?" Angela just smiled at Jane and watched her walk away. Jane looked down at her coffee and took another sip. She would never admit it to her Ma, but she knew that it was better for her to drink than what she wanted.

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It was 5:55pm, and Jane was practically falling out her seat. She huffed and stood from her chair.

"I'm calling it a night guys. There's not much else we can do until we figure out a way to gain DNA samples from all the women from Katie's dating profile." Jane grabbed her jacket from the back of the chair, but didn't catch the knowing smirks from Frost and Korsak. "I'll see you tomorrow guys."

"Night Jane." They both called at the same time. Jane headed straight for the morgue, actually looking forward to having the conversation with Maura. Her hopes were high that Maura wouldn't freak out. She pushed open the door to Maura's office and saw her sitting at her desk chair. Her hair falling around her face in the gentle waves she always had.

"Hey Maura. You ready to go?" Jane made her way in and stood just in front of Maura's desk. Maura looked up at Jane, and a lump formed in her throat at remembering what was going to happen. What she was going to have to say later. She swallowed and tried to speak.

"Yeah. Just give me a second to finish off this document and we can be out of here."

"Sure." Jane turned and started looking round Maura's office at all the different artefacts and items she had all around. From the tribal masks on the walls to the gorgeous flowers that were placed all around the room. Jane loved how much Maura could simply put everything she was out there. She would never hide anything about herself. Jane turned back to Maura and watched as she closed her laptop. As Maura looked up she flipped her hair back over her shoulders. Jane looked on as if it was happening in slow motion. She stopped breathing momentarily as Maura's eyes fluttered back open.

"Are you ready to go then?" Maura's voice brought Jane back to reality. She had to cough to try and get her breath back, so she just nodded not trusting her voice to say anything at this point. Maura walked round her desk and stood next to Jane by the door. Maura looked at Jane and could see the nerves on her face. Maura assumed it was Jane being nervous for the coming evening. What Maura didn't know was Jane was having a realisation of how much she cared for Maura. Jane looked down at Maura's hand, and took it in her own. She looked back up to find those hazel eyes she loved so much. Every time she looked into those eyes she felt nothing but comfort and security.

When she felt Jane's hand wrap around her own, Maura wasn't sure how to react. The two as friends had always been very touchy feely. More so than normal friends. But that was the way they had always been. But they wouldn't normally hold hands. They would join arms. Never hold hands. This was what Maura always wanted to be able to do, but was always so worried about how Jane would react. She knew Jane had a catholic upbringing, and was always worried that if she tried to make any move, Jane would freak out. It had been a long time since Maura had any friends like Jane. She wasn't going to risk losing it, in the small chance that there could be something bigger.

But tonight, both of them would have to tell the other something they feared would ruin their friendship. They needed to find confidence in themselves. As well as have faith in each other. They both knew that tonight was going to be a big step for each of them. They just didn't know the direction of the step they were going to be taking.

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 **A/N – Just want to say thank you. I have never gotten such a positive reaction from people in the first chapter of a story. I hope the same level of reaction can continue. If it does I can assure you there will be plenty more chapters to come. Love ya.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N – OMG! I have never gotten such a good response for one of my stories. I owe a big thanks to Annajadekin, for suggesting the idea to me in the first place. I'm happy I get to write this story and add my own ideas to it, and I hope you guys continue to like he story.**

 **P.S. Please don't hate me for this chapter.**

 _But tonight, both of them would have to tell the other something they feared would ruin their friendship. They needed to find confidence in themselves. As well as have faith in each other. They both knew that tonight was going to be a big step for each of them. They just didn't know the direction of the step they were going to be taking._

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They pulled up in Maura's drive way. Jane had driven them back. She loved it when she got the chance to drive Maura's car. As much as she loved her squad cruiser, she loved the power and control Maura's car had. They had talked in the car. Mostly about this and that. It wasn't until they got to the front door that they both started to feel the nerves they had felt all day begin to grow inside of them once more. Maura pushed the door open, and Jane was surprised to see she had actually locked it for once.

"Since when do you actually lock your door? I tell you every time I come over to lock it, and you finally do it." Maura placed her bag on the table just inside the door as Jane closed it behind them.

"I guess your constant nagging finally sunk in." Jane almost gasped at Maura's comment.

"I do not nag. You make me sound like my Ma."

"And would that be such a bad thing?" Jane just glared at Maura as they made their way into the kitchen. Maura got the hint. "Okay fine. So it wouldn't be the best thing in the world. But your Mother truly is an extraordinary woman."

"I would never deny that." Jane ducked her head into the fridge and pulled a beer out for herself, and a bottle of wine for Maura. "All I am saying is that there are certain aspects of my Ma I would prefer not to have inherited. Being a nag is one of them." She placed the bottles on the counter and went to get a glass for Maura. As Maura watched Jane move round the kitchen she noticed that every time Jane was around she seemed to become almost domesticated. As if they were already living together. Jane was always a gentleman to Maura. Opening doors, pulling out her chair, getting her a glass. It was the small things like that, that made Maura sure she loved Jane.

From the status Maura came from, men would always be doing such gestures towards Maura and other women of equal status. But they did so, purely as etiquette. They did it because it was seen as respecting one another and simply the social norm for them to do it, in their level of social standing. But Maura knew that when Jane did it, it was because that was just the type of person she was. Jane was the type of person that would look after the people she cared for. Jane was one to put others before herself. And although at times it could get her into trouble, when it came to her work environment, Maura found it was a very endearing quality Jane held.

"Maura? You okay there? I think I lost you for a second." Maura shook herself from her thoughts and realised Jane had poured her a glass of wine, and was now halfway to the living room carrying the wine and beer for herself. She must have been thinking longer and harder than she thought. She got up from the chair and followed Jane to the living room, grabbing her glass from Jane as she passes her.

"Sorry. Must have zoned out for a second there." Maura took her usual seat on the couch and watched as Jane took hers at the other end of it.

"Where did you go?"

"I was just thinking." Jane was starting to get curious. She could tell Maura was avoiding telling her something, but she wasn't ready to let this one go.

"About what?" Maura took a breath trying to find a way of answering it without actually telling Jane anything yet.

"Now, you see. What I was thinking about relates to the question you asked me earlier today." Jane leaned forward and tilted her head down slightly.

"So would you care to answer it then?" Maura didn't even hesitate before responding.

"See, that isn't fair. Because I asked you my question first. So to keep things fair, you should be the first to answer. I give you my answer after you have given me yours. Sound fair?" Jane paused for a minute thinking on what Maura had said.

"I guess so." She leant back into the sofa and looked down at the bottle in her hands. She knew that once she told Maura, everything would still be fine. She was just scared that Maura might end up treating her slightly different. That maybe Maura would hate her for keeping a secret for so long. But she couldn't think like that. She had made a promise to Maura to tell her, and Jane Rizzoli never broke a promise. "I guess the only place to start is at the beginning."

"By all means." Maura made herself comfortable on the sofa, getting the feeling this was going to be a long story.

"When I was younger. Like, 7 years old, I knew I was different. When all the kids would go out for break times, I would be that kid that knew all the quiet and secluded areas. I would go and sit there and just read. I loved to learn new things. I liked to read about anything I didn't know. And the more I read, the more I learnt. By the time I was 9, all the kids worked out I was a _super genius_ as they used to call me. And it really didn't help that I wasn't the smallest of children. It kind of made me an easy target. When I was 10 my family had to move. The bullying at school was so bad I couldn't stand it."

"What would the other kids do? Other than call you names." Jane took a deep breath. She knew Maura would have questions, she just didn't realise she would have a hard time trying to answer them. Reliving the past was never something she particularly enjoyed doing.

"The general bullying. Name calling. Taunting. Pushing. Knocking my books out of my hands in the hallway. But it was all the notes I always found in the little cubby box. The kids would write these notes and put them in my box where I kept all my stuff at school. They would say things like, 'It must take a genius to figure out how much of an idiot they are.' Or 'You'd think you'd be smart enough to know how to look good.' They were all stupid when I think about them now. But at the time they hurt. So we moved. I couldn't bear to show my face at school, so my Ma had us all up and move." Jane stopped as if thinking it all through again.

"What happened then?"

"When I got to the new school, I tried to hide everything about myself. I changed everything I could. I joined the sports teams. Got myself fitter. Found out I actually really enjoyed baseball and hockey. But when it came to the academic side of things, I hid. If the teacher asked me questions I would intentionally get them wrong."

"Why would you do that?" Maura asked. She sounded almost appalled at Jane.

"Because I didn't want to go through it all again. I didn't want people thinking I was freakishly smart again. I wanted people to like me, and I knew they never would if I showed them how smart I was. Can you honestly tell me you had a good school experience?" Maura leant forward and pointed her finger right in Jane's face.

"That isn't fair. You know I moved around a lot as a child as it was. So making friends and learning social skills wasn't an easy thing for me in the first place. Don't go comparing me to you, because we are very different in many different ways." Maura's voice was far from calm when she spoke, but she wasn't yelling. Jane could hear the venom in Maura's words clear as day. She wasn't sure what had made her so upset. Bringing up her childhood, or everything she was telling her.

"You're right. I'm sorry." Maura lowered her hand and sat back in her chair. She took a sip of her wine and lowered her gaze to her glass. "But I wanted to be able to fit in." Maura's eyes flicked back up to Jane, and it pained Jane to see the anger that sat in her eyes. "So I lied. I lied to everyone I ever met after that. I still made sure I got the grades I deserved. I simply asked my teachers to keep quiet about it. I explained to them what happened, and they all understood. I had to do that every time I got a new teacher. Every year. It never got any easier for me to hide it. But I got good at it over the years." Maura couldn't bear to look at Jane any more. She turned her head completely to the side. "But you know what Maura?"

"No Jane. Apparently I don't know. So why don't you tell me?" Maura wasn't happy with Jane right now. And the last thing she wanted to do next was answer Jane's question from earlier in the day.

"Of all the people I have had to lie to over the years, I have absolutely hated having to lie to you." Maura looked back at Jane for a second, and could see the truth in her eyes. She could see the pain in Jane's eyes, and she believed her. "I admit, when I first met you, I never had any intention of having this conversation. But the more time I spent with you, the more I trusted you, and the harder it got for me to keep my secret from you." Maura turned so she was sat facing directly at Jane now. "Maura, you are the first person I have said this to in 18 years. I am ridiculously smart. I can remember virtually anything I have read. Sort of like a photographic memory, but not quite to the same extreme." Maura looked at Jane like she must be joking.

"Prove it." It wasn't a question, or a statement. It was a demand.

"How?" Maura pursed her lips for a second trying to think of a way. And it came to her.

"Answer this question. What is the correct terminology for a heart attack?" Jane didn't miss a beat.

"Catastrophic catecholamine-induced arrhythmia." Maura's jaw almost hit the floor. Jane sat there as if nothing had happened. As though what she had just said was perfectly normal. When Maura regained a small sense of composure, she asked a different question.

"What is the more common name for the tympanic membrane?" Again, Jane didn't even need to think.

"Ear drum." She stated. The question and answer continued for another 5 minutes. The questions ranged from scientific, to artistic, to cultural. Everything Maura could think of, she asked Jane. And Jane would answer her as quickly as Maura could come up with the questions.

"What is…"

"Maura, you seriously have to believe me by this point. I've already answered 16 questions, along with 4 follow up questions. I told you. I can remember virtually everything." Maura was in a stunned silence for a couple of minutes. Jane sat there and looked at Maura. She hadn't been this nervous in a long time. Jane needed Maura to be okay with all this. She couldn't lose Maura as her friend. She hadn't had a friend like Maura in a long time. Maura felt like the sister she never had. And Jane loved and cared for her like she was one too. Losing Maura as her sister would break Jane's heart. After a few more minutes of quiet contemplation, Maura finally spoke.

"Why haven't you told me this sooner?" Maura's voice was low, and almost broken. Jane could tell she had hurt Maura and that was the last thing she wanted to do.

"Because of this. Right here." Maura scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. There was a lot happening at the moment. She wasn't sure what Jane was singling out. "The last thing I wanted to do was hurt you. When we first met, I wasn't so sure about you." Maura sat back and scoffed. "Bear with me. The more time I spent with you though, the more I realised you were like me. But because of how I grew up, I had developed this…barrier, between myself and everyone else. And meeting you wasn't any different."

"But you could have told me. There has been plenty of opportunities over the years. Did you not trust me enough to tell me your secret?" Maura's tone was becoming more accusing as she spoke.

"What?! God no! Maura, I trust you with my life. And have done so on multiple occasions. But I…I thought that if I told you, we wouldn't be friends any more. And…" Jane looked down at the scars on her hands and began to rub them once more. "A world where you are not my friend…Maura I don't think that is a world I want to live in." Jane looked up and rested her hands on Maura's and joined their hands together. "You're my best friend. You might as well be my sister. And I don't think I would survive if I couldn't see you all the time." Maura looked into Jane's eyes, and saw nothing but the truth.

"Why would you ever think you would lose me as a friend?" Maura was on the verge of tears. She loved Jane so much. This was completely killing her.

"I don't know. It's like when you're going to ask someone you really, really like out. You have no idea what they're going to say. You get so nervous you can hardly say anything at all. Let alone say those all-important words. You are so important to me Maura, and I had no idea how you would react to this. And that scared me." Jane hung her head. She still wasn't sure how Maura was taking all this. When Maura didn't say anything in reply, Jane started to worry. Without looking back up, she pulled her hands away and started heading for the door. "I think I'm just going to go. Give me a call if I'm still allowed to be your friend." Before Jane could even set foot out of the living room, she felt Maura's hand on her wrist, pulling her back around.

"Wait." Jane turned and was face to face with Maura. She could feel Maura taking deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. Her breath rolled of Jane's chest in waves. Maura was trying to figure out her words. She couldn't decide where to look. She was all over the place. "I still want you to be my friend…but" She paused. She knew she had to say this. She had promised Jane she would. And as disappointed in Jane as she was in that moment, she still knew she loved her.

"But…" Jane helped her along. She was preparing herself for what she expected to come next. Rejection.

"But I'm not sure if you'll want to be my friend once you've heard what I have to say next." Now Jane was confused. She was certain there was nothing Maura could do that would scare her away. Jane was with Maura from beginning to end. And nothing was going to change that. Maura took both of Jane's hands in her own and looked up into those deep brown eyes she was forever getting lost in. "Jane, for a long time now…ever since I met you really…there has been one thing I have known about. Or better yet, there has one thing I know I feel for you."

"Maura, you're not really making any sense. What are you saying?" Maura took a deep breath. She needed to remember to breathe for this next bit.

"Jane, what I am trying to tell you is…I love you." And with those three words, both of their worlds changed. Nothing between them would ever be the same again. But they also knew, that what they did next would determine whether they would still be in each other's lives in the future.

"Maura I…"

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 **A/N – Sorry. Hate me all you like, but I needed to stop it here otherwise I probably could have written another 3000 words. I promise next chapter will be up soon. I am aiming to update every 10-14 days. If I don't do that, start hassling me and I'll get a move on. Next chapter, loads of drama. Goodbye my lovelies.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N – Sorry, I know I took longer than I said I would, but I have been hiding from the world for a while. Don't worry, I am in no way leaving this story. I love it too much. (That sounds egotistical, but I really do love it.) Anyway, on with the story. NOT PROOF READ.**

" _Jane, what I am trying to tell you is…I love you." And with those three words, both of their worlds changed. Nothing between them would ever be the same again. But they also knew, that what they did next would determine whether they would still be in each other's lives in the future._

" _Maura I…"_

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Jane was completely speechless. Of all the things she expected for Maura to say, that was certainly not one of them. She looked at Maura, and as much as she loved her, she didn't love her in that way. Jane loved Maura like her best friend. Like her sister. But Jane didn't love Maura in that way. She looked into Maura's eyes, and she could see her beginning to worry. Jane knew that Maura had just laid her heart and soul out to her, and she had yet to actually say anything.

"Maura I just…I don't…" Jane really didn't know what to say. But seeing the sadness in Maura's eyes wasn't helping come up with anything. Jane started looking anywhere but at Maura, trying to gather her thoughts. The whole night had been an emotional rollercoaster. She had felt sad, angry, scared and right now she was lost. Nothing about this evening was making sense to her. So she did the only thing she could think of. Jane turned away from Maura and headed for the front door. Grabbing her jacket along the way, Jane stopped at the door before looking back to see Maura nearly in tears.

"Jane, please."

"I'm sorry." And with that she left. Slamming the door behind her. Maura lasted a couple of seconds before she fell to the floor and cried. She was broken. Everything she was scared of had happened. She had told Jane exactly how she felt, and in doing so she lost Jane. And the one thing she couldn't do without in her life was Jane. She needed Jane. When Jane was around she felt safe. She felt excited. Jane had made Maura feel things she had never been able to feel before. And even though it scared her, it was the most exhilarating thing Maura had felt for a long time.

Maura finally dragged herself up off the floor a few hours later and headed up to her room. As she stared at her bed from the doorway, she thought of all the nights Jane had stayed over and slept in the bed with her. When Jane was asleep, Maura would turn on her side and watch. She loved to see Jane be so serene and peaceful. It made her feel a sense of calmness knowing she had Jane next to her. And the only thought running through her mind now was that she might not ever get to have that feeling again. She shuffled over to the bed and dropped her head to the pillow that Jane would usually occupy. It still held some of the scent that could only be described as Jane.

Maura buried her head in the pillow as the tears began falling once again. She started falling asleep with thoughts and feelings of Jane running through her head. Maura took some comfort in the knowledge that she would have to see Jane at work tomorrow. _Work._ She shot up in bed realising she hadn't gotten the chance to tell Jane what Frost and Korsak had done. Setting her up on all the lesbian dates. And considering Jane's reaction from earlier, she didn't think Jane was going to take it well. She sighed to herself, realising there was nothing she could do about it tonight. Even if she texted Jane, she doubted Jane would be checking her phone when she was in this sort of mood.

Dropping her head back to the pillow, Maura gave up. She had managed to screw up so much of her life in a matter of a few hours. She closed her eyes, and tried not to think of anything. She was certain that if she thought of anything it would just lead her back to Jane somehow, and she couldn't torture herself like that now. She needed a good's night sleep, try and recuperate from everything, and hopefully come back in full force tomorrow. Even if that means dealing with a grouchy Jane. She needed to hold her head high and get on with her own work.

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Jane went back to her house, grabbed her car and drove around Boston for about 3 hours. Not really going anywhere, but found herself at the coast. She parked up her car and left her phone in the glove box. She didn't want to hear from anyone. If there was a case then they would track her car if they really needed her. But considering she was already working a case she doubted that it would come to that. She took her shoes and socks off, and placed them on the hood of her car. As she stepped foot onto the beach she felt the sand moving between her toes. The sound of the waves as they crashed against the shore. And the rush of the sea wind, as it brushed her hair from her face. In that one moment, Jane forgot anything had ever happened. She was happy just standing in the moment, without a care in the world.

And then everything came rushing back. Everything she had told Maura, and then what Maura had told her. She wasn't prepared for Maura to tell her something like that. Jane wasn't sure what she should do. She didn't want to lose Maura as a friend, but she also wasn't sure if she would be able to act the same around Maura. Yet just hours before, Jane was concerned of Maura doing exactly the same thing to her. The night had changed greatly the longer things went on. Jane could feel her body shaking with all the nerves she was feeling. Everything was happening at once, and it was completely overwhelming. Jane looked out over the ocean, and tried to let all thoughts of the evening slip away from her.

She made her way over to the pier, and sat down at the edge, letting her feet hang in the water. As she sat there in the peace and quiet, she let all the questions that had been nagging in her head flood out. _Why hadn't she told me before? Does she think I like her in that way? Do I like her in that way?_

"No." Jane stated to herself. But she wasn't sure if she was telling herself, or trying to convince herself. Whichever it was, she wasn't certain how much she believed it.

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The next day in the BPD was a weird one. Maura walked into the café, and saw Frost and Korsak getting their morning coffee. But what she didn't see was the curly haired brunette that currently held Maura's future in her hands. Maura made her way over to the two men.

"Good morning Detective Korsak. Detective Frost." Korsak was the first to turn around to face the doctor.

"Morning Doctor Isles. Out of curiosity, you wouldn't by any chance know where Jane is would you?" Maura furrowed her brows at the question.

"Well no. I was going to ask you the same thing. Is she not here?" The two men looked to each other with concern. Frost turned back to Maura and responded.

"No. She called in this morning she was too ill to come in. But Jane doesn't call in sick. She comes in sniffling and coughing and we end up having to send her home halfway through the day." Maura looked between the two men with the same amount of concern as she saw. Maura huffed and turned around grabbing her phone from her purse. She stood in the main reception with her phone to her ear. As the phone rang, she doubted more and more that Jane was going to pick up. Giving up with the phone, Maura turned back to the detectives.

"Do you think you could trace where Jane's cruiser is?" Frost dropped his coffee on the table and immediately headed for the elevator.

"No problem Doc." Maura and Korsak were hot on his heels. It only took him a matter of seconds to locate the car once he was sat at his desk. "Looks like she's at the beach. What the…" Frost didn't get the chance to finish off his question before Maura was bolting for the door. Maura was a woman on a mission. And god help anyone that stood in her way. As Maura pulled up at the beach she spotted Jane's car. But no Jane. Parking up, she got out and started looking for Jane. She tried doing it wearing her heels, then quickly found that wasn't going to work. She held them in her hand, and continued on. She needed to find Jane. For more reasons than one. She looked out to the pier, and spotted her. The dark almost black hair was unmistakable. Maura went to join Jane, and slowly sat down beside her.

"You know, when you call in sick, you colleagues have a tendency to worry." Maura stated. Her toes dipped into the water. She didn't look at Jane yet. She wasn't sure she could bring herself to see the pain she knew would be in her eyes.

"I just didn't have the energy to face anyone. I stayed out here all night. Only moved to grab my phone to call in." Jane's voice was hoarse and broken. Maura could tell the Jane had been through just as much hell as she had. Maura took a deep breath and turned to face Jane. And she almost broke at the look on Jane's face. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do you like me…in that way?" Jane found this hard to speak about. She had always been brought up in the strict Catholic Italian family. The fact that her best friend liked her like that wasn't normal for Jane. She never had anything against lesbians or gays. But she never thought of herself as one. And with what happened between her and Maura, she was beginning to question it slightly. There was this tiny voice at the back of her head telling her she had feelings for her best friend.

"Well…I don't really have an answer for that." Jane turned to look at Maura fully with a small scowl on her face.

"You can't tell me that you love me and then not tell me why you love me." Jane jumped up on the pier and stood tall. "And another thing, what makes you think that I might…be that way inclined?" Maura stood up and joined Jane as she paced back and forth along the edge of the pier.

"Well, nothing in particular. Hence why I never said anything before. But you asked me a question the other day and I promised you I would answer it. If I hadn't answered, that meant I would have broken my promise, and that is something I never do." Jane couldn't look at Maura at the moment. Everything was swimming around in her head. Jane placed her head in her hands and huffed. As she looked up, she finally looked to Maura.

"Maura, I need you to know right now, I don't feel that way about you." Maura felt her heart break a little, but she had been expecting it to happen. She knew there was a little to no chance that Jane would feel the same way. So she put on her brave face, and let Jane finish. "But the last thing I want to have happen is to lose you as my best friend." And with that, Maura knew that everything would be okay. "So, are you going to be okay with me just being you friend? Because I can't be anything more." Jane was looking at Maura with hope in her eyes. She had been thinking long and hard all night, and she was praying beyond all hope that Maura would be okay with this.

"I think I can do that. I've been doing it for the last few years, what will be the difference now?" Maura smiled at seeing the relief in Jane's eyes. Without a second thought, Jane darted forward and wrapped her arms around Maura.

"Thank you. I don't know what I would do without you." Maura heard Jane's whispered words and it made her die inside. Just hearing how much she meant to Jane was enough for her. They stayed in the hug for a few more moments before pulling back. Jane looked at the heels that were still sitting at the edge of the pier. "Don't tell me you tried to walk along the beach in heels." Maura turned to follow Jane's gaze, and suddenly realised how silly she was being, in trying to walk in heels on sand.

"It didn't really occur to me at the time until I started actually walking." They both laughed at how ridiculous the situation was. Maura gasped suddenly as she realised she had still yet to inform Jane of the impending undercover job she was going to have to do. "Oh, Jane I almost forgot to tell you. Although I feel somewhat guilty now considering everything that has happened." Jane furrowed her brows, in both confusion and worry.

"What? What do you need to tell me?"

"Well, Frost and Korsak were filling out a dating profile for in the café." Jane leant back and furrowed her eyebrows. She had no idea where Maura was going with this one. "I asked them what they were doing and turns out they were setting you up to go undercover. They were trying to set up your dating profile. I joined them and typed."

"You what?!" Jane exclaimed.

"If it wasn't for, you would be butch." Jane scoffed.

"That doesn't make it any better. You put my photo and profile on a gay-dating website. I get that it makes it easier for us to gain DNA from anyone I meet, but I can't gather the DNA on my own." Jane was pacing back and forth running her hands through her hair, before she quickly turned and pointed to Maura. "I won't be the only one going though."

"What are you talking about?"

"You are going with me."

"No I'm not." Maura sounded frustrated and tired. It had been a long night, and this was not what she was expecting to hear from Jane. This whole conversation was a bit screwed up though, so this almost seemed normal considering they were talking about the case.

"Yes you are, _Dr Isles._ Because guess what? You got me into this. I can't gather the DNA on my own. And I don't exactly have enough time to train a female Detective how to gather DNA. So there. 3 perfectly valid reasons why you are going with me tonight." Maura looked Jane in the eye, and knew this argument was lost. Jane was right, and she knew it. Although she would never actually admit that to Jane.

"Fine. But if we are going to be ready for tonight we need to head over to Merch and get everything set up." Jane looked around as she was thinking it though for a second before grabbing Maura's shoes, quickly followed by Maura's hand.

"Okay. Let's got." When Maura felt Jane's hand grab hers, she felt her heart flutter. But not for the reasons it had before. But because Jane was still willing and comfortable to hold her hand. Nothing had changed between them. And Maura hoped that nothing ever would.

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For the rest of the day, Jane and Maura spent their fair share of time at Merch, setting everything up. Maura set up her equipment behind the bar. Jane chose which table she would be using for the evening. When Maura told the owner that she would have to be undercover as a waitress, they told her that she would have to wear the uniform. She had no objections to it, and she was taking to the back room to change. Jane was done with everything she needed to do, so she headed back to HQ so she could bite the heads off of Frost and Korsak. When Maura was fitted and everything was alright Maura got changed back into her original clothing and headed back for HQ herself.

Along the way she picked up something she was hoping Jane would wear tonight. She knew Jane hated almost all the stuff she picked out for her, but they were going undercover tonight and Maura wanted Jane to look her best if she was going to be going on a date with the killer. As silly as it sounded, Maura liked to see Jane looking good. Even if it wasn't for her, she liked Jane to make an effort. If that meant Jane looking good for a possible killer then so be it. She walked into the board room with a dress in hand. Jane took one look at it and her face was one of disgust.

"Oh come on Jane. Every time I try and dress you, you turn into a squirming 6 year old. Everything's too itchy. Too short. You can't walk in this. This is too baggy."

"Maura we love that you dress like you're ready to walk down a Paris runway. It's interesting. Endearing. Sexy." Jane paused and scolded herself for saying such a thing. Not only because she was saying it in front of everyone else, but because she said it to Maura, and she knew how much it must be digging at her. Looking to hopefully change her train of thought, Jane tried to continue. "It's…fashionable." Maura's heart screamed. She wanted to cry. Had Jane really just said that?

"It's that what you think this is to me? Fashionable?"

"Um…no?" Jane really didn't know what to say. She wasn't actually sure why Maura dressed the way she did, other than the fact that she had the money to do it.

"I am in awe of what human beings can do. I see it all around me every day. Whether it is good or bad. I see it all the time. I am in awe of the hand-knit channel stitching on this sweater. I am in awe of the artisan who moulded and shaped this shoe. There is so much that I find completely fascinating and you think it's just fashion to me?" Jane was up on her feet in an instant. Her hands instinctively went to Maura's arms to comfort her.

"No. That's not it. But in my defence you have never explained your love of fashion to me before. So can you really blame me for not knowing why you love it so much?" Maura huffed and let her shoulders sag.

"No I suppose not."

"There we go." Jane turned around and headed back to her desk. "Okay, now that we have that we have that sorted, why don't Frost and Korsak, you two take Maura over to the club and set up and she can change. I'm going to head back to my apartment to get myself ready. I'll meet you there and we can attach the wire when I get there." No one had any objections, so Maura picked up the dress and followed the detectives to the cars.

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Everything was set. The club was in full swing. The boys were set up in the back room. Maura was dressed and already working. She was at the bar preparing some drinks. She looked over her shoulder at the entrance and saw Jane waling in. The smirk that graced her face was priceless. She knew from the way she was dressed she would garner some kind of reaction from Jane. Although which kind she wasn't sure. She turned towards the entrance with her tray in hand and walked up to Jane.

The second Jane laid eyes on Maura, her jaw nearly hit the floor. Seeing Maura in clothes that left very little to the imagination. As she looked, she felt something in the pit of her stomach she hadn't felt for very long time. The last time she felt that was when she was a horny teenager, and she was attracted to anything that moved. But she couldn't deny, Maura looked stunning. Maura walked right up to Jane with the smirk never leaving her face.

"You're table is ready Miss." Jane tried to save herself more than protect Maura when she started removing her jumper.

"Oh my god. Put this on."

"No." Maura turned away from Jane slightly to avoid the jumper. "I'm under cover. Follow me." Jane did so, but she got the feeling tonight was going to be a long night. Especially if she was going to have to see Maura looking like that the whole time.

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 **A/N – Again. I am so sorry for the wait. I've just not be up for much lately. I try and write as much as I can, but I just…Anyway. I hope you enjoyed. And please let me know what you think. Goodbye my lovelies.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N – I'm just going to hide behind this rock and let you read the chapter. Please enjoy. NOT PROOF READ.**

" _Oh my god. Put this on."_

" _No." Maura turned away from Jane slightly to avoid the jumper. "I'm under cover. Follow me." Jane did so, but she got the feeling tonight was going to be a long night. Especially if she was going to have to see Maura looking like that the whole time._

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Jane went through the evening. The dates came and went. No one seemed overly suspicious, but in truth Jane wasn't really focusing on her dates. Jane couldn't focus on anything but the blonde working behind the bar. Jane had never thought about Maura in anyway other than a friend. And she was determined to keep it that way. She knew how Maura felt, but that wasn't how Jane felt. Maura was her friend, and that was that. But Maura definitely wasn't making it easy for her. Every time Maura came over to collect a glass, she would brush right up next to Jane. She could feel Maura's breath rolling down her neck.

Jane had always been comfortable about her sexuality. Although she never flaunted it. She was interested in women but had never done anything about it. She always assumed they were normal feelings. That every women had them. She believed it to be just normal. But whenever she looked at Maura, she felt something she had never felt before and it scared her. She didn't know what was happening, and Jane Rizzoli did not like not knowing.

When her final date left the table, she couldn't have been happier. She had had just about enough of pretending to be interested in what the girls were saying. She leant back in her chair and sighed. She wanted to curl up on her sofa with a blanket, a cold beer and the latest red sox game playing. But Jane was never that lucky. One final woman sat opposite her. As they talked she became increasingly suspicious to Jane. Something about the woman was off. Jane wasn't one to take chances though. She collected a sample from the woman, and handed it over to Maura.

Once everything was packed up, Jane said her goodbye's to Maura, Frost and Korsak and headed back to her apartment. She was done for the day. She had been up all night the night before, which was a poor choice on her part, but she needed the time to think. Her emotions were still all over the place. Considering everything she had been though in the past 24 hours, Jane was surprised she hadn't had a mental break down or something. She made her way back to the apartment, and headed straight for her bed. Within minutes of her head hitting the pillow, Jane was out for the count.

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Maura was just finishing up changing out of the Merch uniform. She came out of the back room and nearly walked straight into Frost.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."

"No problem Doc. Hey…you alright?" Frost looked at her with concern in his eyes. Sometimes Maura hated the fact that she work with detectives. They very rarely missed much. Maura looked up into Frosts eyes and could see he was genuinely worried about her. She simply looked back down to the floor and shook her head. "What's up?" She knew she couldn't tell him what was wrong for two reasons. One, it would mean telling him about Jane's secret and Maura had promised not to tell anyone about that. And she was never one to break her promises. And secondly, she would have to explain her feelings for Jane. She figured that wouldn't end well. For her or Jane. So she took the only option she knew she could without lying.

"If you don't mind Detective Frost, I would rather not say. I made a promise to someone and answering your question would break my promise. I'm afraid I can't do that." Maura could hear her voice beginning to break. She needed to leave. She needed to think everything through. She didn't really give herself a chance to do so. She just thought to herself that she would forget about it and move on. But seeing Jane tonight being chatted up by all the beautiful women that sat at her table…it made Maura jealous. She knew she had no reason to. It wasn't as if she had any claim to Jane. But it still hurt to see it happening.

"Okay. Fair enough. But you look really worried. Maybe you should talk to someone about it. Jane? You two talk about anything and everything. You don't have to break your promise, just be careful what you say. You know Jane. She's not one to push unless she knows she needs to." Maura thought about his words for a moment. And as much as she would have loved to go and talk to Jane, when she is the subject of her emotions, it makes it a bit harder to talk to her about anything.

"Yeah. Good night Detective Frost."

"Good night Doctor Isles." Frost watched as Maura exited the club. He was worried for her. He considered Maura a good friend. Certainly a good person and he didn't think she deserved to be feeling the way she did. Whatever was bothering her, he was going to do whatever he could to fix it.

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Jane heard loud banging coming from her front door. She lifter her head from the pillow and turned to look at her clock. She had barely been asleep and hour. In her mind, that hardly counted as a cat nap. Whoever was knocking on her door, had better have a good reason for it, or else they are in for a world of pain. Jane pulled herself out from under the blanket, and managed to place both feet on the floor. Getting her butt off the bed was a bit more of a challenge. She had very little energy from the lack of sleep. And what energy she did have was mainly being used to keep her awake at this point. As she made her way towards the front door, the banging did not cease.

"Alright already." She yelled. The knocking stopped immediately. Before opening the door, Jane looked through the peep hole. Who she saw was not who she was expecting. She swung the door open and glared at the man in front of her.

"Sup partner." Frost strolled into Jane's living room and took purchase on her sofa.

"What's sup is that I should be sleeping right now. Frost what are you doing here? I was quite happily asleep in bed when you so rudely woke me up."

"Damn. You're grouchy when you're tired." Jane glared at him, and Frost raised his hands in defeat. "Alright. I came by because I needed to talk to you about Maura." Jane was instantly wide awake.

"What about Maura? Is she alright?" Jane sat next to Frost.

"Relax. Nothing is wrong with her. She just seemed off when she was leaving the club earlier." Jane slumped her shoulders at Frost. She goes from being tired, to pissed, to worried and straight back to pissed off.

"Are you kidding me? You wake me up in the middle of the night because Maura looked a little off. If something was wrong why didn't you just go talk to her? Why you gotta wake me up?" Jane leant back into the sofa and rubbed at her eyes trying to stay awake.

"Because I did talk to her, but something is really bothering her. You're like the only one who can actually talk to her. The only one she opens up to." Jane glared over at Frost like he was an idiot. "Come on. You know she would come and help you in a heartbeat. The least you can do is go over and make sure she is alright." Jane listened to what Frost was saying and realised he was right. Maura would help her in a heartbeat. And at the realisation Jane felt her heart tighten. She was normally one to hide her emotions well, but she was too tired to even try. And her sadness was clear as day on her face. "Okay, that is nearly the same look Maura had as she was leaving the club. What's going on with you two?"

"Nothing." Jane stood up from the sofa and headed towards her bedroom.

"You know you can't lie to me Jane Rizzoli. What is going on with you guys?" Jane had to laugh to herself slightly. She had been lying to him for years now. And as she thought about that fact she felt even worse. Frost was one of her best friends and she had been lying to him. But now was not the time to tell him the truth. That time would come eventually. Frost was following her down the hallway.

"Look it's nothing I can't handle." Jane stepped into her bedroom doorway and turned to look at Frost. "Now unless you particularly want to get an eyeful, I suggest you stay where you are." Frost smirked and moved to step into the room, but Jane slammed the door before her got the chance.

"Damn. So close." He whispered to himself as he wandered back to the living room sofa. Jane laughed to herself knowing Frost was only joking. She quickly got changed, not giving herself time to think about much. The less she thought at the moment the better it would be for her. She opened her door and headed back towards Frost.

"Okay, you're driving me to Maura's. I'm too tired and I have the feeling that whatever I am going to be talking to Maura about, it will take so long I may as well stay there. So come on. You woke me up to go check on her. Let's get going." Frost wasn't going to argue. He picked himself off the sofa and followed Jane down to the car. They made it to Maura's in record time. But that could have had something to do with the fact that Frost was eager to get a cranky Jane out of his car. And for Jane to sort out whatever the hell was wrong with Maura. He didn't like seeing his friends upset. And he knew Jane would be able to help.

"Cheers buddy. I'll see ya tomorrow when we get the lab results back." Jane said before she got out the car.

"Okay. No worries. I'll talk to you later." Jane slammed the car door shut and made her way up to the front door of Maura's house. She had to take deep calming breaths as she walked towards the door. She couldn't figure out why she was so nervous. She was just going to see Maura. She had done it a million times before. But then again, before now she hadn't known about how Maura felt about her. And this was exactly what Jane was afraid of. That things would change between them. And that was the last thing she wanted. She never wanted to lose Maura. But she knew she couldn't give Maura what she wanted.

Jane knocked on the door and waited. In all honesty, Jane wasn't even sure if Maura would still be awake considering the hour of the night that it was. But as she heard the tell-tale noise of Maura's heels clicking against her wooden floor, she figured Maura was still up and moving. When Maura opened the door, and noticed Jane, she froze for a second. She wasn't expecting to see Jane until the morning. But she figured, any time she got to spend with Jane would be welcomed. But she still needed her chance to work through her feelings, and having Jane there wasn't helping much.

"Jane. What are you doing here?" She stayed in the doorway blocking Jane's entry. Jane was watching Maura's face trying to decipher what she was feeling.

"Well, Frost came and grabbed me from my condo saying you seemed off when you left the club. He wanted me to come check on you. Make sure everything was okay." Maura stood there without saying a word. "May I come in?" It had been a long time since Jane had had to ask that question to Maura. But Maura stood to the side and let Jane enter. As Maura moved, a small smile came across her face, but it wasn't the smile Jane was used to seeing. "Okay, that's new." Maura looked up at Jane as she closed the door behind her.

"What?"

"You. You're not happy to see me." Jane stood in the middle of the foyer with her hands stuffed into her jean pockets. She looked down to the floor and scuffed her foot against the wood.

"What makes you think that?" Although it was true, Maura didn't want to admit it to Jane's face.

"Your smile. You faked it. Your orbicularis oculi didn't move. When you show a genuine smile the muscles around your eyes will contract, making it appear as though your eyes are smaller. Yours didn't even flinch." Maura stared at Jane for a second completely dumbfounded that had just come out of Jane's mouth. She was still trying to work through the fact that Jane was a genius. "Look if you don't want me here, I can make my way back to my place and I can see you tomorrow at work." Jane started to head towards the door and as her hand was reaching for the handle, she felt her other hand get a vice like grip on its wrist.

"Hang on." Jane turned to face Maura dead on. "I don't want you to leave. I'm just…I'm still trying to sort out my own feelings, and I guess having you around isn't exactly helping. But I don't want you to leave." Maura looked up into Jane's eyes, and the care and concern she saw in them made her heart swell, and that made everything else a hundred times harder. "Come on. Why don't we go sit on the sofa, and maybe we can try and work through this together. Sound like a plan?"

"Sure." Jane followed Maura over to the sofa, and took a seat on one side as Maura took place on the other end. There was silence for a moment, before Jane dove in head first. "So what was up with you at the club?" Jane knew that if she asked direct questions, Maura would have no choice but to answer truthfully. She watched as Maura waited for a moment, before taking a breath and opening her mouth to speak.

"I suppose…I was jealous." Jane scrunched her eyebrows at the answer. Jane may have been a genius, but even she got confused when she was given the whole story. "Watching you all night, I was getting jealous of all the women who got to sit at the table with you, and flirt with you, and…I know I have no right to be jealous, but I couldn't help it"

"Actually Maura, I sort of understand." Maura's head snapped up at hearing that. How the hell could Jane understand if she couldn't even understand it herself? "Jealousy by definition means insecure or fear. Mainly at the loss of something or someone. Considering what you told me the other night, and the fact that I am your best friend, I can understand why you would feel jealous. And in all fairness, it wasn't fair of me to ask you to come undercover with me."

"What on earth are you talking about Jane?"

"I should have known that it wouldn't have been fair to you, to see me, being flirted with all night. I wasn't exactly being considerate of your feelings. I was just thinking about the case."

"But Jane, you're missing the point. I can have all the feelings I want for you. But if there is nothing actually occurring between us, I have no right to have such feelings as jealousy." Jane looked at the floor, and started rubbing her scars. "Why do you always do that? You know as well as anyone else, it doesn't do them any good to be constantly rubbed if you have no form of lubrication on them."

"What can I say? It's a nervous habit." Now it was Maura's turn to be confused.

"What have you to be nervous about?" There was no bite to her words, just confusion. "I am the one that has told you how I feel, and am now the one having to deal with the repercussions. Surely you have nothing to worry about." Jane smiled slightly.

"Maybe. But…whilst we were at the club, I felt something. I didn't know what it was, and you know what I'm like. I hate not knowing." Maura suddenly felt that same hideous feeling from earlier. Jealousy. She thought Jane had felt something for one of the girls she had met. "But I don't know what to do about it. And that scares me Maura." Maura could see the vulnerability in Jane's eyes. She knew how rare it was for Jane to show her vulnerable side.

"Well, why don't you do what you always do? Go do your gumshoe thing and work out what you're feeling." It was killing Maura to say this. She was practically pushing Jane away when all she wanted to do was pull her as close as she could.

"God, you really need to stop calling it that or I'll start calling your work…body…chopping." Maura sat and thought for a second about Jane's description.

"But that would actually be a reasonably accurate…"

"Oh come on Maura. I'm smart, but not always imaginative." They both sat there giggling for a minute. There was finally a sile back on Maura's face, and that was all Jane needed to see. For Maura to be genuinely happy about something. When the laughter stopped, they looked at each other, and couldn't help but continue to smile. "Feel better?" Jane asked. Truly concerned about her friend. _Friend._ Jane kept reminding herself.

"Yeah. I guess I just needed to bounce my words off someone. And who better to bounce them off of than the stubborn brick wall that is Jane Rizzoli."

"Glad to see I'm useful for something." Jane looked over at the clock and saw it was just getting later and later. Which meant it was also getting sooner to when they would have to be up for the morning. "I think it's time to go to bed. We've only got a few hours left before we need to go in for work."

"Sounds good. Are you staying?" Maura looked to Jane with hopeful eyes. She loved it when Jane would stay over. She would always somehow end up being spooned by Jane in the middle of the night, and she never had better night sleeps than when Jane would hold her all night long.

"Yeah. Frost dropped me off, and I don't really feel like taking the long cold walk back home." That answer made the smile on Maura's face brighter than a night full of stars. And that very smile made Jane feel warmer than chestnuts roasting on an open fire. And it was the same feeling she had from earlier. But as much as it scared her now, the smile made her calm so much more.

"I take it you didn't bring any spare clothes?" Jane just nodded with a shy smile on her face. "Come on. I'm pretty sure I have some spare clothes from when you've stayed before." As Maura was walking Jane up the stairs, a thought crossed her mind. "I guess now, it would only be fair to ask…but would you like to sleep in the guest room?" Maura reached the top of the stairs, and Jane could see the worry in her eyes. She was convinced Jane would want to sleep elsewhere. She couldn't bear to bring her eyes up to meet the brown orbs that could practically control her. Jane saw the doubt that was covering Maura's face. The only thing she could think to do was hug Maura. As close and as tight as she could. When she pulled back, the tears were starting to build in Maura's eyes.

"Maura, do you know the chances of me wanting to go and sleep in another bed?" Maura paused for a second. Just as she was going to answer, Jane continued. "Zilch. Literally nothing. You can tell me anything, and do anything. But you are my best friend Maura. I'm not saying I don't care how you feel, because I do. I'm really happy you trusted me enough to tell me. But it doesn't matter. It doesn't change anything." And now Maura really was crying. "Hey, come on now. That's not fair. Where did your smile go?" Maura let out a small choked laugh. "Come on. I'm tired, and I always sleep better knowing you're at least safe next to me." And that was all it took. Maura had no idea where it came from, but she didn't regret it even slightly. She quickly leant forward and placed a small kiss to Jane's cheek. When she stood back, she saw the surprise on Jane's face. But there was something else there. But she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Sorry. I just…I…"

"Don't worry about it. I know what it feels like to want someone you can't have."

"What do you mean?"

"It's a long story. And one for another night. Right now I want to sleep." Maura nodded and wandered into her room. Handing Jane a set of night clothes from her previous night's there, they settled under the covers. Maura turned away from Jane with her back to her. Even with what Jane had said to her, she still felt slightly awkward about sleeping in the same bed as Jane. Is was as if she had become shy. But Jane hadn't changed. She shuffled over in the bed, and wrapped an arm around Maura's middle. Jane felt Maura's breath hitch as she rested her arm around the middle. "You know I love you too Maura. Just not in the way you want me to."

"I know." Maura voice was barely a whisper.

"I'm sorry." Jane wanted to be able to give Maura everything. But she knew this was one thing she couldn't give her.

"Don't be. I know how this works. I just wish it would be easier."

"I promise…I will make this as easy as I can. I just want you to be happy." Maura didn't know how to reply to that. So she waited and second and finished for the night.

"Good night Jane." Maura's voice was virtually dead to the world. But Jane heard her. Jane always heard her.

"Good night Maura."

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 **A/N – Okay, I really owe you guys an apology. But I'm not going to say sorry. I've been in and out of hospital for various reasons, and the doctors still don't know what's wrong with me. But I have to admit. All the reviews and PM's was worth it. You guys kept me going. And for that…I thank you. I will try and update sooner than 3 months later, but we shall see. Stick with me. I promise it will be worth it. Thanks again you guys. I hope you enjoyed it.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N – Okay. Trying to keep up with updates. I hope you enjoy this chapter. More smart Jane. More saddened Maura. And more friendship. Enjoy. NOT PROOF READ.**

" _Good night Jane." Maura's voice was virtually dead to the world. But Jane heard her. Jane always heard her._

" _Good night Maura."_

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The next day was a bust on all the DNA they gathered. Not even the girl that came to Jane at the end of the evening. Jane was frustrated. She wanted to be able to solve this case so she could truly focus on Maura. Her head was going crazy. More so than usual. The past few days had been a blur to Jane. And very little is foggy to her. Jane just wanted everything to go back to normal. Maura was her friend, and she wanted it to stay that way. Didn't she?

She wasn't completely sure what to think. All she knew was that she couldn't stay in the department. Everyone was asking her all sorts of things. And most of the time she couldn't answer the way she wanted to. She wanted to go off on long explanations about everything. But she knew she couldn't. And then the only people she could wouldn't ask her the kinds of questions she needed and they certainly wouldn't listen to her answers. All of them except Maura. But right now she can't talk to Maura, because she doesn't know what she's going to say.

Jane isn't sure what she will say or do when she is around Maura. It's like suddenly someone has set a gun off at the races, and all hell is breaking loose. No rules. No regulations. And no way of knowing what is going to happen next. And not knowing scared Jane. It scared her like nothing scared her before.

Maura was in her morgue trying to do anything she could to distract her mind. Not even shoe shopping was working. Her head had been in the gutter all morning. She knew there hadn't been a break in the case, and she had to tell Jane that. She knew that wouldn't be good. But she wasn't expecting Jane to just walk out of the department. And she felt so guilty that she didn't have anything to give Jane. But right now, there was nothing she could do. And that was killing her. All she wanted to do was go find Jane and wrap her in her arms. But she knew Jane. She needed some time and space just to clear her head.

When Jane found herself at the Merch, she had the urge to go in and just have a drink. She hadn't been able to do that in a long time. Normally, she would have a drink with her friends and family, and she always had to hide herself. But she could go in there and just sit and drink. No expectations. No limitations. Just a drink, and maybe even someone she can have a friendly conversation with. She made her way into the club and saw the bartender was standing behind the bar sorting through the drinks. Jane took a seat at the bar and figured seeing as how she was technically still on duty, she should stick with soft drinks. Ordering a coke should be fine.

After talking with the bartender for a while she realised a few things. One, this bartender gave a bad name to blondes. Secondly, she had gloves that had a tear in them. And it all clicked into place. She needed to think quickly, and then something else clicked.

"Remember when you aid if I ever wanted to get experimental?" She started smiling, and it made Jane's stomach turn. And not in a good way. But she knew she had to play along. At least for now. As Jane sat there, and the bartender walked closer, she straightened up. As she leant in, Jane turned her head, and the kissed landed on her neck. And she felt sick all over again. The lips against her skin felt strange and wrong. And then Jane's memory went back to the previous night when she felt Maura's lips against her cheek. It was instantaneous, but she would never forget it. She couldn't forget it. They were soft and welcomed, and they felt so right being on her skin.

And that thought made her smile. The thought of Maura's lips on her skin. But she also knew it was wrong. Those weren't the feelings you should be having about your best friend. Those were feelings you should have about the people you love. The people you want to go home to every night and greet them with a kiss. And Jane knew she shouldn't be thinking about that with Maura.

Once the lips left her neck, she cleared her head and smiled. She grabbed her jacket, and left. Without another word. She got in her car and headed straight back to the department. She didn't even say hi to Frost or Korsak sitting in the café. She made a beeline for the elevator and went straight down to the morgue. As she made her way out of the lift, she stopped just outside Maura's office. She saw Maura sitting at her desk. She could see there weren't any new bodies in the morgue. Which meant Maura is doing one of two things. She can either be finishing up paper work on a previous case. Which would be unlikely considering how efficient Jane knew she likes to be. Or she was shoe shopping.

Maura was paying way too much attention to the pair of shoes she was contemplating buying when she heard the door swing open. She jumped slightly and when she looked up she saw Jane standing in the doorway. She grabbed the lid of her laptop and shut it as fast as she could.

"So shoe shopping it was." Maura heard what she said, but didn't completely understand what she meant. She was right of course, but she didn't know how Jane could have known.

"Pardon me?"

"Never mind. Just…" Jane made her way round to the side of Maura's desk and pulled her hair to one side. "Swab my neck would you." Maura just looked at her for a second like she was completely crazy.

"I'm not even going to ask." Maura got on with swabbing Jane's neck. And now Jane was in her element. She had a break in her case. And she knew she had it cracked. After getting the results back, Jane was like a steam train. And Maura was quite happy to sit back and watch. Jane had the case finished and wrapped up before Frost's 5 o'clock shadow was showing. When Jane finally took her seat in the break room, Maura slowly walked in and took a seat next to her. Jane looked straight at Maura and said two very simple words

"Thank you." Maura's brows scrunched together at the statement.

"Why would you be thanking me? You're the one who made the break in the case. Got the DNA sample. I just ran the tests."

"One of these days I am going to teach you how to be proud of yourself. Just take the compliment." Jane smiled at Maura's humbleness. And she prayed that she never actually changed. Jane knew Maura was perfect the way she was.

"What do I have to be proud of?" Maura's voice was slowly getting higher. Not louder. Higher. She was normally on the ball with Jane. But right now, she felt like she was lying flat on her back.

"Thank you for being here. I know what I'm like when I get frustrated with a case. I'm not exactly the easiest person to be around." Maura let out a small laugh. That was an understatement of she ever heard one. "But you never leave. You are the only person I can count on to help me through it. And so for that, I say thank you." Jane hesitated for only a moment before leaning forward and placing a soft kiss to Maura's cheek. When she sat back she saw the surprise on Maura's face, and also the restraint she was displaying by not leaning forward and kissing Jane back. "I'm trying. And believe me when I say I am trying to find a balance where you are happy, and I don't feel ridiculous."

"I am happy Jane. Any time I get to spend with you I am happy. And you don't need to do anything to try and make me feel any different."

"I know. But I will." Maura smiled. She truly loved Jane. And everything Jane did made her realise it even more. But she knew she would never have more. Just the fact that Jane hasn't left her completely was a miracle. And she would make sure not to push her luck with it. Maura took Jane's hands and stood up. Jane following her actions instantly.

"Come on. We can go back to mine. Order some pizza and watch a movie or something. Like we always do when we break a case." Maura had a smile on her face that could rival that of the sun. And it made Jane happy seeing Maura like this.

"Sure. I'd love that." And so they did. They made their way back to Maura's. As Maura pushed the front door open, the distinct pita pater of tine paws hitting the floor could be heard. Jane walked in and was practically attacked by the small dog she had come to love. "Hey Jo Friday. How'd you get here?" Jane bent down and picked up the small dog that was yapping its head off.

"I brought her over." The two women looked up to see Angela standing in the kitchen with the stove going. "I knew you hadn't been at your apartment these past few days, and I figured she might actually get fed if I brought her over." Jane put Jo down and looked towards Maura, and saw the same thing she felt. Disappointment. Angela was cooking, which meant she was looking to have a meal with them. Which would mean their calm and relaxing evening has very quickly been ruined.

"Gee. Thanks Ma." Jane started making her way into the kitchen to get a better look at what Angela was doing. "What you cookin' there Ma?" Angela was completely oblivious to the looks on their faces. As she continues with her cooking she answers Jane.

"Just making some food. I thought we could have a girls night and talk. I mean, I barely get to see you anymore." And just like that Jane knew she was going to be in for the guilt trip.

"Well actually Ma, we closed a case today, and me and Maura were…"

"Maura and I." Jane turned to Maura who had corrected her. The smile on Maura's face was one that told Jane that she knew what she had done. Maura knew she was winding Jane up. But Maura was playing little miss innocent. "What? Now that I know how smart you are, I might as well take every opportunity I can to show you that you aren't so smart you're immune from me anymore." Jane could only glare. But the gasp she heard from behind her made her turn back to her Ma.

"You told her!?"

"Of course I did. I said I would." Angela was slightly speechless. Which was new for Jane to see. But she wasn't fazed. "Anyway, as I was saying. We closed a case today and were just looking for a quiet night. Movie and pizza you know?" Angela's face changed from shock to hurt in a heartbeat. Jane felt bad, but she really was looking forward to just sitting around with Maura. Angela must have been able to see this somehow, because she stepped back and started heading for the door.

"Of course. I understand. Just let the food finish up and you can either have that now, or as a midnight snack. I know how you always get hungry Jane."

"Ma!" But Angela was already out the door. Once they were finally alone, Jane turned back to Maura but wouldn't look at her. She was way too traumatised. She started toeing at the ground with her shoe with her hands behind her back. Maura couldn't help but smile. Jane looked like a small child that just got told off. Maura made her way over to Jane, and slowly lifted her head with a finger under her chin. Once their eyes connected, Maura spoke.

"So, pizza or Chinese?" The smile that crossed Jane's lips was subtle, but amazing. They ordered in Chinese, and settled down on the couch. Jane grabbed a blanket and threw it over their legs. Maura tried getting comfortable, but couldn't. Eventually, Jane gave up. She leant forward and grabbed Maura's legs, lifting them up and resting them in her own lap. She looked over to Maura and saw the bashful smile.

"Relax. Nothing has changed. I can still be your pillow when you're tired. Your shoulder when you're sad. And I will always be your someone when you need me. So just relax," She shoved Maura back against the couch, rubbed her legs and chucked the remote at Maura. "And put on a documentary I'm sure you've recorded." Maura was going to argue, but Jane just looked at her. She was right. Maura had recorded a new documentary. She turned to the TV and selected her documentary. As she settled down back into the couch she got lost. Jane was slowly rubbing her hand up and down Maura's legs. It was sending tingles all through Maura's body. It was an amazing feeling to Maura, but it was driving her crazy at the same time. She wanted to sit back and relax and enjoy the feeling of Jane's hands on her, but she couldn't keep doing this. She pushed herself up and dropped her feet to the floor. When she was sitting, Jane looked to her and paused the documentary. "What's wrong?" Maura took a deep breath and tried to explain.

"I can't." Maura got up from the couch and started pacing the room. She put her hands over her mouth trying to control her breathing. Jane was off the couch in a heartbeat. She grabbed at Maura's hands and pulled them away from her face.

"Don't cover your mouth when you're panicking. You reduce the level of O2 and increase the Carbon Dioxide. That releases a hormone in your brain that creates fear which just make you panic even more. Now just calm down. Tell me what is going on." She had yet to let go of Maura's hands, and Maura had certainly noticed. She was clenching her hands trying to remain calm. She looked up to Jane and she was trying so hard not to scream.

"I…can't" It was strangled. She could practically hear the tears building.

"You can't what? What can't you do?" Jane was trying so hard to understand, but not even she was keeping up with Maura right now.

"This." She breathed. "I can't do this." Maura was gesturing around the whole room. "I can't…pretend that everything is the same as before. Before I at least had the knowledge that you didn't know I liked you. Now…now there isn't any boundary that is stopping me from wanting more."

"That's normal. You've already gone past the major risk you had stopping you and that was rejection. And because I didn't reject you, now all you can think of is benefits. And when that is all you can think of your brain tells you to go for it. And the fact that you haven't done anything actually goes against majority of the studies." Maura listened to Jane's words, but she still wasn't use to listening to Jane talking like this. But that didn't change anything.

"I know. It's, now there isn't anything stopping me from…from…"

"From what Maura!?" Jane finally let go of Maura's hands.

"From doing this." She leant forward and took Jane's face between her hands, and went for it. She placed her lips on Jane's. It was soft and gentle. And it was perfect. Jane was shocked. She thought Maura understood. She didn't feel that way. At least, that what Jane thought. And then Maura's lips touched hers. And everything she believed was thrown out the window. When Maura pulled away, they looked into each other's eyes. Maura was scared. She can't believe she actually did that. But she didn't regret a second of it. And neither did Jane. Although, how she truly felt about it was another matter.

There were a few moments of stunned silence. Moments where neither women knew exactly what to do. They stood there. Neither wanting to move. Maura's hands were resting on Jane's shoulders. Jane's hands were just hovering in the air by the side of Maura. She was almost scared to touch her. But more scared of what she might feel if she did. As the moments continued on, Jane did the only thing she could think of. She rambled.

"I'm thinking that every time we get called in for a murder, we should say that a flock of crows are coming." Maura scrunched her eyebrows together in complete confusion. Of all the things Jane could have said, she came out with that. "You know. Because a flock of birds is actually called a murder. Which fits considering crows are usually associated with death, and are the bird found on the scythe of the Grim Reaper. That and Ravens. The two birds are extremely similar but for size. The Ravens are larger in…"

"Jane! You really need to stop talking." Jane let out whatever breath she had left after her rant. She hadn't been able to do that for a long time. Normally when she was nervous or angry she would have to run or workout somehow. But for the first time in a long time she was able to speak. To ramble. And damn did it feel good. All the words that were forever rattling around in her head were finally getting the chance to be said. To run free.

"Sorry. I haven't been able to do that for a while."

"Don't apologise. I should be the one saying sorry. I had no right to do what I did. I just…"

"Hey, don't worry about it." Jane at long last let her hands rest on Maura's hips. Jane looked down for a second before continuing. "As you know, I hate lying to you. So I am going to say something that I don't really understand at this point. So just bear with me." Maura nodded, and as Jane started sitting down, he followed behind. Allowing Jane to take her hands in her own. "Okay, I will admit, I was not completely against that kiss." It was a simple statement, but it made Maura smile so hard her cheeks were hurting. She had a small glimmer of hope. And that was all Maura needed. "But, I've never done this before. And it scares the crap out of me."

"Language Jane." Jane just glared at Maura as her shoulders slumped. "Sorry."

"Anyway, I know how you feel, and I understand that. What I don't understand, is the way I feel about you." And just like that, Maura's hope was disappearing. "I know it sounds ridiculous, but lately, when you touch me, or are even near me, I get this feeling in my stomach. And I know how that sounds coming from me, but seriously."

"You're right, that sounds ridiculous coming from you considering you always say that you follow your gut when you have a hunch."

"I know. But right now I am talking to you. The logical, over-thinking, annoyingly smart ass Jane. And she doesn't know what to feel when it comes to you. I mean, you're my best friend. And I've never been with or even been attracted to a woman before. And I…I don't want to screw anything up. If I do something wrong I could lose you as my friend, and I don't think I could do that." Maura shuffled so she was slightly closer to Jane. She was rubbing her thumb over gently over Jane's hands, mindful of her scars.

"Jane, there is no physical way you will ever lose me as a friend. But if there is even the slightest chance that we could be something more, you have to understand that I will do anything to make that happen." Jane looked down but nodded her head. When she looked back up, she could see the hope in Maura's eyes. And she couldn't help herself. She knew she was making Maura happy, and it was worth it. She leant forward ad claimed Maura's lips for her own. And this time she actually moved. She wanted to get the chance to feel Maura's lips on her own for real. Not just a passing press. She wanted to feel the softness that was Maura. It was different than kissing a guy. It was soft. Gentle. And something that Jane wouldn't mind doing again. When she pulled back, she gently bit on her own lip, pulling it gently between her perfect white teeth. When she opened her eyes, she saw the pure bliss that was on Maura's face. And she had a feeling she had a similar look on her face too.

"I don't know how this is going to go, so the only thing I can ask is that you bear with me. Let me take my own pace." Jane was really hoping Maura would be okay with this. She knew Maura may have wanted this for a while now. Which meant that she had already had a chance to sort through her feelings. But Jane was learning all this as she went along. She had a little bit of catching up to do.

"Of course. I've got a chance with you. You think I'm going to do anything to screw that up?" She had to laugh at her own comment. She knew Jane was worth it. Worth everything that may come their way, but she knew she would need to wait. And she would. She would wait until the end of time if it meant she could have Jane.

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 **A/N – Okay, Just before the New Year. Literally. I hope you guys enjoyed this. I'm trying to fit in smart Jane as much as possible, and in the next few chapters you'll be seeing her develop. Love you guys. Reviews please. Goodbye my lovelies.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N – Pushes this towards you and then hides behind a rock. Sorry. NOT PROOF READ.**

" _Of course. I've got a chance with you. You think I'm going to do anything to screw that up?" She had to laugh at her own comment. She knew Jane was worth it. Worth everything that may come their way, but she knew she would need to wait. And she would. She would wait until the end of time if it meant she could have Jane._

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Jane had always been a confident person. In almost everything she does. She will hold herself with pride and do what she does best. But there have also been a few things in life where she hasn't been so confident. Kissing a boy for the first time. When she started her period, she was a nervous wreck. She had always known that hiding her genius was something she had to do. And then when she met Maura, all she wanted to do was cream to the world everything that was going on in her head. But at the same time, when she first met Maura, she became a puddle of mush. She barely knew the honey-blonde haired woman, and yet she knew that if Maura needed something from her, she would drop everything in a heartbeat and do it. No questions asked.

So when Maura asked her to help her set up her new bed, Jane didn't even need to think twice. Maura was and independent woman in her own right, but even she knew she wasn't physically strong enough to put the bed together. As much as she liked working with her hands, she worked better with delicate instruments like the ones found in her morgue. Whereas she knew Jane was more adept at working with a hammer and nail. Or in this case, a drill. As Jane was working on setting up the bed frame, Maura had realised something. Where Jane would normally be complaining about not being able to understand the instructions and just getting Maura to try and translate them, she hadn't made a single comment yet.

"Jane?" Jane didn't look away from what she was doing, just gave Maura a rather Neanderthal type grunt. "By any chance, have you always known how to read the instructions of a manual, for anything?" Jane slowly stopped her work ad looked over her shoulder at Maura. The sheepish look on her face was rather telling for Maura. Jane showed her signature Rizzoli grin. The one she used when she knew she was in trouble. "Jane?"

"Well…" Jane pulled her shoulders up to her ears. "I might have been pretending slightly at my ability to understand the phrasing and direction of the instructions." Jane reasoned. Hoping Maura would find it funny. And she did. Sort of. She got up from the chair she had been using whilst Jane got on with it. Maura occasionally handing her a screw or a tool. She made her way over to where Jane stood and used the instruction manual to swat Jane on the arm. "Oh. Hey." Jane moaned playfully. They both knew it didn't really hurt.

"You little sneak. Why would you do that?" Maura asks. Now jabbing at Jane's sides with her fingers.

"Stop pocking me and I'll tell you." Maura immediately ceased all pocking and tucked her hands behind her back with an innocent look all over her face. "Thank you. Well, at the time you obviously didn't know I was intelligent, and I didn't want to give anything away. So yeah, I faked a few things over the years. Enough to not draw any suspicions, but not so much I wasn't able to make detective. Nothing was going to keep me from making detective. That and I liked hearing your voice." Jane started blushing when she stated her little guilty pleasure. She had always liked listening to Maura's voice. It was like a little ball of sunshine in any area. Even when Maura was pissed off and fuming with Jane, She couldn't help but hang on every word Maura was saying.

"You had me reading the instructions to you so you could listen to my voice?" Jane refused to look at Maura. Knowing that when she did she would be a nervous wreck. She kept her eyes glued to the floor and nodded her head. Maura slowly made her way closer to Jane and lifted her head up with a single finger under Jane's chin. "You are a real soft at heart aren't you?"

"Well technically no one is a softy at heart because the heart is a solid muscle which means it is actually quite firm and strong. Come on Maura, you of all people should be an expert at this." Jane couldn't help but smirk. And the glare she was receiving from Maura made it all the sweeter. But her smirk was quickly wiped away when Maura continued her jabbing at Jane's sides from earlier. Jane tried swatting Maura's hands away, but to no avail. Maura was persistent to say the least. Jane made a dash for the door and just makes it out of the room. She kept going, hearing the scurrying feet of Maura behind her. They were both dressed casually enough, but Maura had also taken her heels off earlier. Finding them pointless if she was supposed to be helping Jane make a bed. This meant she was able to easily chase after Jane. Jane headed straight for the kitchen. She quickly moved round to the far side of the breakfast bar. Knowing Maura would end up stuck on the other side. She turned and watched as Maura stood by the bar. The smirk had returned to Jane's face. She knew there was only one way this would end. "Truce?" Jane quirked her eyebrow up in question. She watched as defeat crossed over Maura's face.

"Truce." Jane slowly made her way out from behind the counter as did Maura. Jane moved past Maura, intending to head back to the room, to finish making the bed for Maura. Before she got two steps past Maura, Maura jabbed at Jane's sides one last time. "I win." The cheeky smirk on Maura's face was pure gold. Jane spun around faster than a twister. She saw Maura smirking and wanted nothing more than to wipe it right from her lips. Maura saw the look in Jane, and immediately tried to run, but no matter what Maura was wearing, Jane would always be quicker than her. With Maura's back to her, Jane wrapped her arms around Maura's front and lifter her up with ease. Maura instantly started squealing. "Jane! Put me down!" She demanded. But Jane was having no of it. She started making her way towards the sofa. Maura still kicking and screaming. Before they make it there, Angela walks into the kitchen carrying two bags of groceries.

"Jane Clementine Rizzoli, you put her down now." Angela barked at her daughter. Jane dropped Maura. More out of fear of her Mother than by choice. "I thought I raised you better. What makes you think you can treat Maura like a rag doll?" Jane moved back towards the kitchen Island, where Angela was unpacking, and started to attempt to defend herself.

"Maura was jabbing me in the sides and…"

"I don't want to hear it. The bottom line is, you don't treat women like that. Am I clear?" Jane was clenching her jaw and twiddling her hands together.

"Yeah Ma." Jane mumbled. Maura moved up to the counter as well and stood next to Jane. Maura was trying so hard to not laugh. She was loving the scene playing out in front of her.

"Good girl." Angela finished.

"Yeah. Good girl, Jane Clement…"

"Oh don't you push your luck. Maura Dorthea Isles." Maura pursed her lips, knowing she wouldn't win this one.

"So what are you girls doing anyway?" Angela was finished the first bag and was starting the second bag of groceries. She was looking to change the topic of conversation, knowing the two women could bicker for hours if given the chance.

"Jane was just helping me set up my new bed." Maura stated. Glad for the topic changer.

"Oh that's nice of you." Angela commented to her daughter. Making sure to throw a teasing tone to her words.

"You don't need to sound so surprised Ma. I am actually capable of doing a good deed from time to time." Jane feigned offence. Knowing Angela was just playing.

"You know the idea of doing a good deed comes from the concept of Karma. Where if you do something good, something good will happen to you in return. But the same principle applies for a bad deed unfortunately." Maura states matter of factly. Jane looked over at Maura with her eyebrow quirked slightly.

"Is that why you never lie? You're afraid that by lying a bad deed will happen to you in return." Maura huffed and was about to respond before Jane jumped back in. "I know. You can't lie because you get hives. And besides. The meaning of Karma is actually multiple ones. Depending on where you look. For example Buddhists believe that it is determined that if you do a good or a bad deed, one will happen unto you regardless. It's basically fate. However, Hindu's believe that if you do a good or a bad deed, you are owed one in return. But it isn't set in stone that you will receive one. They believe that the future can always be changed." Jane may have been talking to Maura the whole time, but they both had managed to forget about Angela just to their side. Who was now standing there, with her mouth open. It had been a long time since she had heard her daughter talk like that.

"Okay, I can only deal with one freaky genius at a time. I can't keep up with both of you. I barely keep up with one of you. So you girls are going to have to take it in turns to be a genius." Angela was waving her hands at the two of them. They both instantly started laughing. "Why are you laughing? I am being deadly serious. One genius at a time." The girls finally got their laughter under control and Jane was the one to speak first.

"Okay fine. I'll stop being a genius when Maura and I are both around you. Seeing as how it is easier for me to switch _it_ off than Maura." Maura almost seemed outraged from Jane's comment.

"What makes you think I can't switch _it_ off?" Jane turned to Maura and couldn't help but let out a small silent laugh.

"Oh please. You couldn't turn your brain off for a day even if you wanted to. You have this impulse that makes you need to say things. You just can't help yourself. Whereas I have had plenty of years to practice it." Jane turned back to Angela, now with a proud smirk on her face as she looked to her Ma. Jane knew she had won. Maura looked to Angela, waiting for some support that never came.

"Don't look at me sweetheart. You and I both know she's right. So why bother arguing? I've learnt not to bother." Maura huffed at Angela as she turned around and began stacking stuff up in the cupboards with the remainder of the bags groceries. When she looked back at Jane, she saw that snarky little grin that always made her blood boil.

"Okay Jane. You don't think that I can 'shut my brain off'? How about a little bet?" Jane's eyebrows disappeared into her hairline.

"Is the great Maura Isles actually daring to take a bet with me?" Angela whipped her head around at Jane's statement. Knowing this whole thing could only end one way.

"You know what, I think I'll come back in a little bit and finish up in hear later." Angela couldn't have gotten out of there any faster. She practically left skid marks on the floor. Jane and Maura never gave Angela a second glance. They were so focused on each other at this point, and the impending bet that was coming.

"Okay Maura. So how do you want to play this?" Maura squared her shoulders at Jane.

"How about this? If I can't switch my brain off for a day, you get to choose what we eat for dinner tomorrow. And I can't make a single complaint about whatever it is." Jane had a mischievous smirk on her face. Already mentally planning the dinner out in her head.

"Okay. And what if you do manage to make it? What do you get?"

"If I make it for one whole day, then you have to…" Maura had to pause as she was thinking about what she wanted out of this deal. "If I win, you have to help me cook whatever dinner I choose. And you can't complain about it either." Jane mulled it over in her head for a second. It sounded fair enough to her.

"Okay. That works." Jane extended her hand to Maura as to seal the deal.

"Hang on. One more thing." Maura halted the deal and Jane huffed and lowered her hand back down to her side. "You can't try and force me to slip up. You can't say something knowing I will want to correct it. Because that is just cheating." Jane gasped and raised her hand to her chest in mock offence.

"Would I ever?"

"Yes you would." Maura deadpanned. Jane returned back to a relaxed posture, but was still smiling. She let out a small laugh before replying.

"Okay. Fair enough. I won't do anything to try and garner a specific response from you. Okay?" Maura now willingly accepted Jane's hand to make the bet final.

"Thank you."

"Okay, so starting from," Jane looked over at the clock and worked out the best time to start the bet officially. Seeing as how it was now 3:40 in the afternoon. She looked back to Maura. "4, you have to not be a smarty pants for 24 hours. So tomorrow afternoon at 4, you can say whatever you want." Jane released Maura's hand and watched as Maura nodded her head.

"Works for me." Maura walked forward and wrapped her hands around Jane's neck for a hug. Jane pulled her arms around Maura's waist bringing her closer. Jane was quickly beginning to realise that feeling Maura around her was quickly becoming her favourite feeling in the world. Jane turned her head slightly and gently placed a delicate kiss to Maura's cheek. She felt how Maura's cheeks warmed at the touch. Before pulling away, Jane quickly whispered in Maura's ear.

"Now, can we please go and finish making the bed." Jane leant back look at Maura's features. "I would like to know you actually have something to sleep on tonight." Maura couldn't help but smile. Her heart warmed at the concern Jane was showing to her. She knew Jane had always cared about her. Even from day one. Jane had shown care towards Maura, even in her own peculiar way.

"Of course. And I promise not to jab you in the side if you make smarty pants comments." Maura put her hands up in surrender. Jane smiled and leant in and claimed Maura's lips for her own. Since sharing their first kiss 2 weeks ago, they hadn't escalated much past sincere brushes and chaste kisses. Jane was still trying to find her pace. She was nervous about every little thing. Jane was fully aware of how Maura felt. Maura didn't flaunt her feelings, or constantly remind Jane of them, but it was always there. Nagging at the back of Jane's mind. All Jane ever wanted to do was make Maura happy. Every fibre of Jane's being wanted to be able to make Maura smile. But every time Jane kissed Maura, she got this feeling in the pit of her stomach. And she wasn't sure what she was really feeling. But it made Jane feel so many things at once. But Jane was scared that if she tried going any further than a simple kiss, the feeling would get worse. She didn't want that.

If there was ever something Jane Rizzoli didn't like, it was not knowing. And right now, Jane Rizzoli had no idea what would happen if she made a move further. But today, Maura was apparently in luck. Jane was ready to try something new. Slowly, Jane placed her hands on Maura's hips and pulled Maura closer to her. Jane pulled back from the kiss for a moment. When she looked at Maura and noticed how laboured Maura's breathing was. Jane took a deep breath. That feeling in her stomach was back. But now it was deeper. It wasn't bad or worse. It was…different. But a good different. And that was all Jane needed to know she was making the right decision. Jan took her stance, knowing she was going to need to try and muster up all the courage she had. She looked back down to Maura's lips and finally went for it. She leant back down to Maura's lips. Placing her lips on Maura's, stoked the burning in her stomach even more. But that just pushed her along further. Jane slowly opened her mouth slightly against Maura's. Maura felt the change, and reacted instantly. Maura followed Jane's lead, opening her mouth just enough to match Jane's. But she wouldn't do anything more until Jane had done it first.

Maura was determined to keep her word. She promised to let things go at Jane's pace. And she would keep that promise. She wouldn't push Jane to do anything she wasn't ready for. But when she felt the tip of Jane's tongue brush along her bottom lip, she almost lost her resolve. The feeling of Jane on her lips was intoxicating. And she so very desperately wanted more. Maura dipped her tongue out slightly to come to meet Jane's. At the first contact they both whimpered. It was a feeling they both wanted to have continue for as long as either would let. But Jane had already taken one big step for the day and was practically shaking where they stand. Jane pulled back. Only slightly. Just enough so that their lips were no longer touching. But as Jane stood there and bit her lip. Pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. Just as she had done after they had their first real kiss. Maura began to realise that it was Jane's nervous habit other than rubbing her hands together. And it was gorgeous to watch Jane be nervous. It was her being vulnerable. And it didn't happen often.

"You know. I really like it when you bite your lip." Maura was smiling as she watched Jane begin to blush. "I like getting to see you. All the sides of you." Jane was still blushing. But that just made her even more adorable to Maura. "Blushing is caused from the release of adrenaline into your system. It causes the blood vessels to expand. Means more blood runs through trying to more oxygen round the body. Generally speaking, people tend to just blush on their cheeks, but others can have a blush on their ears and neck and sometimes down to their chest." Jane finally stopped blushing at hearing Maura's technical talk. She turned slightly to look at the clock and saw it just ticking over to 4.

"Okay smarty pants. That was your last factoid for the next 24 hours." Maura too looked over at the clock, and couldn't help but pout slightly. But Jane redirected her attention back to her. Jane placed a delicate kiss on Maura's lips and watched as the pout instantly disappeared. "That's better. No pouting. I don't like it when you pout. Unless you are doing it as a joke. I don't like seeing you upset."

"Okay. No pouting. I promise." Maura smiled once more. Jane moved away from Maura and grabbed her hand as she started making her way towards the stairs.

"Now come on. We haven't got much more to do with the frame of the bed, and then we can just put the mattress on top. And then we can relax for the evening. Sound good?"

"Sounds amazing." Maura happily followed behind Jane. All the way up the stairs. They finished up the bed and settled down for the evening on the sofa. Jane decided to watch a documentary with Maura. Less chance of Maura trying to correct a TV programme or something. She figured she would give Maura a fighting chance to start with. But would enjoy teasing her tomorrow.

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 **A/N – Right, let me know who you think will win the bet. I hope I haven't lost too many of you by not posting for a while. I really do apologise, but I went through a rough patch, and am now just starting to get things back together. I really do like this story, and would never abandon it. I don't do that. I just don't update for long periods of time. Love you guys. Goodbye my lovelies.**


	8. Chapter 8

**(Two updates in the same month.) That is what I wrote when I started writing this chapter. It has been awhile I realise, but I am in the middle of exams. I am working hard to keep this story going, but I recently moved as well and have only just started to get settled. But here is a nice scene for you guys. Enjoy.**

" _Sounds amazing." Maura happily followed behind Jane. All the way up the stairs. They finished up the bed and settled down for the evening on the sofa. Jane decided to watch a documentary with Maura. Less chance of Maura trying to correct a TV programme or something. She figured she would give Maura a fighting chance to start with. But would enjoy teasing her tomorrow._

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Two hours into the new day and already Maura is dying. She had already had multiple opportunities to try and explain things to Jane as well as Frost and Korsak. Jane and Maura were woken up early with both phones going off calling them in for a murder. Jane made the joke that the crows were coming for them. Maura couldn't help but smile. They rolled out of bed and quickly got ready. Over the years Jane had left a work outfit at Maura's several times. Which meant Maura had an arsenal of Jane's clothes for work.

As they made their way to the crime scene, Jane drove them both in her cruiser. They were chatting away like normal, but Maura was having to bite her tongue at times. She was very quickly beginning to realise that the deal may be harder than she thought. As they neared the crime scene, a thought crossed Maura's mind.

"Jane, how am I supposed to act at the crime scene?" Jane thought for a second. Understanding Maura's dilemma. She couldn't act differently for her work. But there was a compromise.

"Okay, so you can act as normal with regards to the case. So saying that a blood mark is a reddish brown stain is allowed. But you still can't go off on a tangent." Jane stated matter of factly. Trying to make it as clear as possible to Maura what she meant. And what the rules would be.

"How so?" Maura questioned. She understood the limitations of what she can do, but she needed the example just to make it crystal clear. She refused to lose this bet because she didn't understand the rules clearly.

"Okay. So when you start explaining what you see, that is all you can do. For example, if our victim is…I don't know, if the victim is dressed like a china doll, you can explain the type of fabric the victim is wearing. And anything that would actually be relevant to the case. So if the fabric is actually from the 1950's or something. That is relevant. But you saying something along the lines of how the fabric from the 1950's were extremely patterned. How it was very abstract and vibrant. That is completely irrelevant to the case. Understand?" Jane quickly glanced over at Maura to as she finished her explanation.

"I believe so. It makes sense. It's like when someone uses the defence of loss of control for the offence of murder. If the only reason you killed someone was because of sexual infidelity then they can't use it as a defence. But if there were other factors that related to the sexual infidelity then it can be used as a defence in court." Maura was rambling on. Jane was looking over at Maura, waiting for her to realise what she was doing. Maura suddenly shot her hands to cover her mouth, gasping in realisation. "Oh please tell me that doesn't count?!" Jane couldn't help but laugh.

"Well, to be fair, not many people would know about that. That would be the kind of thing the defence would advise their client about. So in theory…" Jane let it hang in the air for a moment. Trying to make Maura squirm. Maura started to groan at the thought of already having lost the bet. "In theory I should say you have lost." Jane once again left the statement hanging. Waiting for Maura to pick up on the loop hole. Maura suddenly dropped her hands back down to her lap as Jane was pulling up to the crime scene.

"In theory you should call me up on it, but in practice…?" Jane smirked at her finally getting there.

"In practice, I will give you this one slip up. You do it again and you lose the bet. Clear?"

"Crystal." Jane pulled in and parked the car up.

"Good. Now, I have a crime scene to examine. And you have a dead body to analyse." Jane smiled over at Maura before moving to get out the car. Before Jane could pull on the handle, she felt Maura's hand take hold of her forearm. Jane turned back and saw Maura leaning towards her, and started leaning in on her own, meeting Maura halfway. It was just a gentle kiss. But Maura needed something before entering back into the real world. Listening to Jane talk like a genius was incredibly sexy to Maura. It was just another thing that made Maura love Jane even more. But it also made it harder for Maura to control herself around Jane. But she was slowly learning.

They exited the car and made their way towards where Korsak and Frost were already working. Jane and Maura showed their badges to enter the scene. There was a call saying there was a body found under a bridge in down town. As they walked over Jane made her way straight to Frost and Korsak and her Detective persona instantly fell into place. Maura watched everything change. From the way she spoke to the shape of her body. It was completely different. And Maura didn't know how she never realised. Maura made her way over to the body and started her initial examination. She decided that it would be easier to focus on her work rather than talking with anyone. Frost and Korsak noticed the change in Maura.

"What's up with Doctor Isles?" Frost asked Jane. Jane looked over her shoulder and saw how hard Maura was focusing on the body. She turned back to Frost to see the confused look still on his face.

"Maura and I have a bet. She can't be a genius for 24 hours. She can explain anything relating to the case, but other than that, she has to talk like a normal person until 4 this afternoon."

"Why?" Korsak jumped in. At the question, Jane wasn't completely sure how to answer. But she was always quick on her feet.

"We were talking about how a mute person must feel. And we were trying to figure out a way to understand how they might feel. I couldn't really not talk otherwise I couldn't work, but Maura cannot talk like a genius unless she is relating it to the case. So I guess she is deciding to focus on the case rather than talking to us. Don't take any offence by it. She's not being rude, but we have a bet with this. So anyway, what you guys got for me?" Korsak looked down at his notepad and started filling Jane in.

"Looks like your bog standard jumper. Bridge is about 50ft high. My guess is impact trauma. Guy looks like he crushed every bone in his body." Jane turned her shoulder to look at the victim. As she turned, she saw Maura darting her head up. She obviously heard what Korsak had said, and Jane could tell that by the look on her face, Maura was trying very hard to not say anything. So she figured she would help Maura out a little.

"That is highly unlikely. Although possible, it is incredibly difficult. Other than the fact that certain bones are so small, they are near impossible to break, others are in places with sufficient padding from muscle and tendons and ligaments, and it makes it harder to break them." She turned back to Maura and watched the smile grace her face, and her body slowly relax. Maura returned her focus back to the body and continued with her work. Turning back to Korsak and Frost, both with jaws hitting the floor. "What?"

"Where the hell did you learn that?" Frost asked. For all the time he had spent with Jane, he had never heard anything like that come from Jane's mouth.

"I took biology in high school. And considering all the time we spend around Maura, you guys can't honestly tell me you don't pick anything up." The two men were still standing there with their mouths nearly hitting the floor. Jane turned to Maura and made her way over to the body. "So what have you got?" Maura looked up at Jane. The look on her face told Jane that she was practically asking for permission. Jane just gave her a gentle nod and a kind smile. She could see how determined Maura was to win the bet. It was rather endearing to see.

"Right, so just with my preliminary examination, I can tell you the fall wasn't the cause of death. There would be a far greater amount of blood if he came from up there." Maura turned and pointed to the top of the bridge. She turned back to the body and picked up the left hand. "I noticed there were several injection marks between his fingers on his right hand, but there was only one mark on his left." Maura showed the mark between the fingers to Jane. Jane had a quick look and did her usual thing.

"He was left handed. Hence all the marks on the right hand. So either he suddenly changed his routine, or someone injected him with something, and didn't consider where he would normally inject himself. So this wasn't premeditated. And chances are that whatever was in the needle that injected him last, it was what killed him." She jumped to conclusions. "So do you have a time of death for me? Age? Anything?" Maura placed the hand back down at the side of the body.

"The body and face itself are rather distorted from the impact trauma of hitting the ground. And without a liver temperature I can't be very specific about the time of death. But, based on the bodies rigor," Maura started feeling the face, neck, arms and shoulders of the body. "I can tell you he died somewhere between four to eight hours ago."

"That's a pretty big time gap for us Maura." Jane stood up and looked down at the body with her hands resting on the front of her belt.

"Well as I said. I can only give you a rough estimate with the time of death based on rigor. Once I get a liver temperature, I can give you a much more accurate time of death. But I want to get the body back to the morgue before I start making any holes or incisions in the body. This area isn't exactly hygienic. And I don't particularly feel like risking any evidence simply to give you a more accurate time of death. You'll simply have to wait." Maura closed up her bag and stood up, brushing the wrinkles out of her skirt. She smirked at Jane, knowing how well she is doing at keeping her mouth shut. Even Jane had to admit it. She was starting to get slightly worried about the bet. She had a really good idea about dinner planned, but if Maura continued to go the way she was, her whole plan would be ruined.

"Well in that case, I'll let you get on with it, and I'll meet you back in the car and we can head over to BPD together." Maura simply nodded her head at Jane and started her way back to the car. She climbed into the passenger seat and let out a long awaited breath. And finally did as she needed to do.

"Drug addicts never change their injecting habits. Humans are creatures of habits. They wouldn't change it for a onetime thing. And why on earth would you start jumping to conclusions about the cause of death. I have no idea what may have caused that man to die. It could be anything from a heart attack to a brain aneurism to being shot but I have yet to find a bullet wound. You never jump to conclusions. You wait for me to do my autopsy and then we can make a decision about how this man died. Furthermore, did you know why I check the face, neck, arms and shoulders when determining the rigor mortis? It's because they are the first parts of the body that go through the process. Therefore giving me the best chance at determining when the man was killed. Although after a certain period of time the body begins to loosen up which makes it harder to determine the time of death." Maura finally stopped and took her breath. She had to put her head in her hands and breathe deeply.

What Maura didn't realise was that Jane, Frost and Korsak had been watching her from where they were standing. Jane could tell that Maura was talking to herself. And she knew exactly what she was saying. She supposed that technically Maura hadn't broken the bet because she wasn't being a smarty pants to anyone. She was just getting it all off her chest. And considering Jane had done that a number of times, particularly when she was alone in the elevator, she couldn't really blame Maura. But there was still another 7 hours where Maura would be able to trip up. Jane turned back to Frost and Korsak who had their faces scrunched up in confusion whilst looking over at Maura.

"Hey. Guys." Jane was snapping her fingers in their faces trying to garner their attention. When they finally shook themselves out of it, they turned back to Jane. "I'm gonna drive Maura back to BPD. You two okay to take care of everything here. You can fill me in when you get back. I'll get started on the paperwork for the case. Sound good?" She asked.

"Yeah. Works for me." Korsak said as he made his way back over to the body. Hoping to get the personal effects off the morgue attendant who was bagging up the body.

"I'll meet you back at the precinct." Frost called as Jane started walking over to the car. As Jane approached the car, she could see the frustration written all over Maura's face. Jane felt slightly guilty for putting Maura through this, but Maura was the one that was determined to prove a point. If she wanted to put herself through this, she could be Jane's guest. Jane climbed into the car, but made no comment about seeing how Maura felt.

"You ready to head back to the precinct?" Jane turned and looked at Maura. Jane could tell Maura as extremely tense. She placed a hand on Maura's knee knowing full well the effect it had on her. "Relax okay. You're doing really well so far. Just a few more hours and then you can gabble away to your hearts content." Maura looked to Jane with a quizzical look on her face.

"Why are you trying to help me through this? You lose if I win Jane. That hardly seems like something you would want considering how competitive you are."

"True. But I also know how much it would mean to you to be able to win. And you're my best friend so of course I'm going to help you. No matter what it means for me." Jane smiled and the words warmed Maura's heart. "Although I must admit, if you win this bet I may just make you suffer." There was no real menace to Jane's words. She was struggling to hold in her smirk.

"And what exactly do you think you will do to make me suffer?" Maura watched Jane as she started the car, and pulled away from the crime scene.

"Win and find out." Jane now had a full blown smirk on her face. Granted she had promised not to goad Maura into saying something super geeky, she never promised to not challenge Maura. Maura was instantly intrigued. She knew Jane had a very creative mind, but at the same time, she knew that could be a very bad thing. She knew she wanted to win, but then again she was scared to see what Jane could actually do. Maura sat in silence contemplating Jane's words. By the time they reached the precinct, Maura was no closer to deciding what to do. But the more she was thinking it over, the more her brain began to swirl with facts and statistics all the possibilities that could happen. Maura was thinking again. "Come on. We have a case to solve." Maura started getting out the car. She was in an almost daze. She was overthinking so much. She never even noticed Jane had said something.

"I'm sorry, but what did you just say?" Jane couldn't help but laugh. She knew Maura was struggling with this.

"Never mind. Look, I'm going to head upstairs. Let me know when you get anything. And no smart talk. Not even to your technicians." Jane yelled over her shoulder as she made her way onto the lift. Maura watched as the doors closed in front of Jane. That signature still plastered on the brunettes face. Maura started making her way down to the morgue. She started organising everything for the arrival of the body.

Once the body arrived, Maura got straight to work. Here she was able to block out the rest of the world. She didn't have to think about anything. Her mind couldn't run away with itself. Before she knew it, it was two in the afternoon. She realised she had only two hours left in the bet and she would have won. Dr Chang came through the morgue doors holding a folder in her hands.

"Test results came back on the toxicology tests." She handed the folder over and headed back to her own domain.

"Thank you Dr Chang." Maura opened up the folder and instantly, she was surprised at what she was seeing. "Scopolamine?" Maura whispered to herself. Instantly, her mind was beginning to fill with facts. Having just finished an autopsy, Maura was still in her zone. And now she was having all these facts and information fill her mind, Maura was on a whole new level. Without even thinking, Maura was on auto pilot as she made her way up to the bullpen. She stepped out of the lift and headed directly for Jane's desk. She placed the folder down on the desk with a bit of umpf. Jane looked up at Maura with confusion and surprise written on her face.

"Can we help you Doctor Isles?" Jane questioned. The smile on Maura's face only grew.

"Actually, I can help you. I found the cause of death for your jumper not jumper victim this morning." Maura opened the file to the page with the results, not that Jane would read it, but still. "The victim had high levels of Scopolamine in his blood. Now, although the drug can be used for an illegal high when used in extremely controlled amounts, when used in large quantities, it can kill a person." Jane looked over at Frost who looked as though he was still following what Maura was saying. So she deemed the information to still be relevant to the case.

"What kind of quantities are we talking here Doc?" Frost asked from his side of the desk.

"Well, considering that even just 1gram is able to kill approximately 20 people, a large dose of the drug could even simply be 0.05grams worth of the drug. Any higher and it will be lethal." Maura was still beaming. But what she didn't realise was how much Jane was smiling too. But for a completely different reason. Jane had seen Maura like this before. And she knew exactly where this was going to lead. "The drug originates from the deadly nightshade plant found in the Northern Indian Region of South America. The drug is also in a sense a form of a date rape drug. If blown in the face, the drug causes the victim to lose all self-control and is incapable of forming any memories during the time they are under the influence of the drug." Frost and Korsak both looked over at Jane with one eyebrow raised. It was the look they used when they knew Maura was rambling on about nothing that was relevant. But Jane figured she would let Maura have this moment before shooting it all down in flames. "What many people don't know about the drug, is that it was trialled as a truth serum in the 1993 by the CIA. But due to the fact that the drug can cause hallucinations at low dosages, the trial was deemed ineffective." When Maura finally stopped to take a breath she looked at Jane who now had a shit eating grin plastered on her face. "What?" Maura asked rather confused. Jane simply stood up and raised her arms above her head and screamed.

"I won!" Maura looked at Jane before realisation dawned on her. Raising her hand up to her mouth, she gasped and finally understood what she had done. And she couldn't believe she did it.

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 **A/N – Really sorry about the long wait. I don't mean to do it. I really enjoy writing. I find it to be a really good escape from reality. But sometimes reality hits you like a ton of bricks. Anyway. Review and let me know if you want me to keep going. Goodbye my lovelies.**


	9. Chapter 9

**So I am ill. Which means a new update for you all. I think you might rather enjoy this chapter. There will be some freaky genius Jane. And some super adorable Maura. And some…No. Not telling you what else. Just read and see. Enjoy.**

" _What?" Maura asked rather confused. Jane simply stood up and raised her arms above her head and screamed._

" _I won!" Maura looked at Jane before realisation dawned on her. Raising her hand up to her mouth, she gasped and finally understood what she had done. And she couldn't believe she did it._

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Jane was doing her little happy dance around the room. She was really worried that Maura was actually going to make it all the way to the end. As much as she would love for Maura to have won, she didn't really want to have to endure what kind of dinner Maura had planned. Jane didn't mind eating healthy. She really didn't. But Maura always managed to take it to a new extreme. When Jane looked over to Maura, who was still stood by Jane's desk, Jane's heart nearly broke. The look on Maura's face was enough to make Jane cry. Jane walked over to Maura and pulled her into her arms. Not caring who saw

"Don't beat yourself up over it Maura." Maura dropped her shoulders and wrapped her own arms around Jane's waist. Nothing about the hug was anything more than comfort. Neither of them had any other intention other than to help and hold the other. "I told you, you wouldn't be able to make it." Maura quickly pulled back and scowled at Jane.

"Really?" Maura was fuming now. Jane couldn't help but smile and laugh.

"What?" Maura pulled back completely and crossed her arms over her chest and frowned harder. The lines becoming obvious across her face.

"I am already sad. And all you're doing is adding salt to the wound." Jane completely forgot where she was. All she knew was that she was talking to Maura.

"Actually Maura, although adding salt to a wound hurts and makes things worse at the time, in the long run, it helps to cause the wound to heal faster. Sort of like any kind of treatment. Although it may hurt, and you may not like it, but it helps in the long run"

"Not helping!" Maura stated.

"I'm sorry. Okay. I didn't mean to make things worse for you." Jane pulled Maura back into her embrace, although Maura refused to unfold her arms. Jane leant down and whispered into Maura's ear. "If it makes you feel any better, I have something really good planned for tonight." At that, Maura leant back, only enough to be able to look Jane in the eyes.

"What have you got up your sleeve?" Maura asked almost cautiously. Slightly concerned at what Jane may have planned for her.

"That is for me to know," Jane released Maura and went and sat back down at her desk. "And for you to soon find out." The pout quickly returned to Maura's face and the smirk sat proudly on Jane's face. "Be by my place at 6."

"That's rather early." The shock in her voice was evident. Maura was expecting to be told to be at Jane's for 8. 7 at the earliest. But 6 just seemed odd.

"Not for what I have planned." Jane smirked. Maura glared at Jane before winking and walking back down to her morgue. Once the doors to the lift closed, Jane looked over to Frost, then Korsak who both sat there completely dumbfounded. "What?" She asked incredulously.

"What was all that about?" Korsak responded. Jane didn't really know where to start, so she simply played dumb.

"What was what?" She huffed at pretending to be annoyed.

"You and the Doc." Frost chimed in. "Lord know men have been hunting after her for some time now."

"Hey!" Jane would defend Maura to the end of the earth regardless of what was going on between them. And right now only makes her want to defend Maura more. "That is Doctor Maura Isles. Chief Medical Examiner for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. She is our Medical Examiner. Not a piece of meat for men to hunt after. You will show her some respect." Jane's voice was threateningly low. Both men looked at her with fear swirling in their eyes. They both raised their hands in surrender. They knew when to back away and back down. And right now, they were teetering on the edge.

"Sorry. But we aren't exactly the only guys in the department to notice. We are just the guys who have been decent enough to restrain ourselves. We respect Doctor Isles. But not everyone else does." Frost explains. Not quite sure how much he should be saying.

"What do you mean?" Jane was ready to kill anyone who dared to disrespect Maura. Or degrade her in anyway. She turned to Korsak. She knew that he would be straight with her. Always has been and always will be.

"Well, as much as you may chat and act like one of the guys, you don't always hear exactly what is being said. The conversations don't end when you leave. They just take a change of direction." He was beating around the bush. And Jane knew it. Which just pissed her off even more.

"Okay. Can we cut the cryptic crap! One of you needs to tell me what I am missing before I start twisting arms." She wasn't playing around. If it involved Maura, Jane wanted to know. Jane _needed_ to know. Frost finally put her out of her misery.

"The men in the department, and even a few women to my surprise, have been less than savoury about the way they choose to speak of Doctor Isles. I have heard comments directed at Doc that should only be heard in some cheap…"

"Okay, I get it." Jane started rubbing her eyes into the palm of her hands. She had no idea that was what people were doing behind their backs.

"No one says anything to you because they know how close you are with the doc. Which brings me back to my original question. What was that all about between yourself and the Doc?" Frost was getting impatient now. He had gotten use to the overly friendly way Jane and Maura would behave around each other. But that was something different. As though something had shifted. But he didn't want to say anything unless Jane did so first.

Jane huffed and raised her head from her palms and stared at Frost. Explaining this to them wasn't going to be easy. And frankly, Jane wasn't in the mood to even try and explain it. So she didn't.

"Maybe another time. But not right now. Right now I have a dinner to prepare for." Jane started gathering her stuff and heading for the door. Korsak raised his hand to halt Jane in her tracks.

"Where do you think you're going? We still have a case. And considering we just got given some rather useful evidence from the Doc, we kind of have a lot more work to do. So do you really think you can just walk out of here?" He wasn't angry with Jane. Just rather curious as to why Jane is so eager to get out of the office.

"Look, there isn't a lot we can actually do until we get more facts. Right now all we have is the cause of death. So now we need to start looking for suspects. Look specifically at anyone who has recently been to the Northern Indian Region of South America. Or have had anything imported from there. Give me a list of suspects and then we can start trying to work out who actually killed our vic." Jane was pressing the button on the lift doors and then turned back to yell over her shoulder. "And find out if the victim had any family once we get an ID." And with that she walked out. Korsak turned back to look at Frost. Both of which had complete confusion covering their faces.

"What is going on with her?" Frost asked.

"I don't know. She normally wants to stay here until the sun is rising the next morning. And then waits for it to set the next evening till she goes home. I've never seen her leave here so fast." Frost just shrugged his shoulders and got on with his work.

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Jane stumbled through into her apartment. She had made a trip to the grocery store to get the ingredients for the dinner she planned for tonight. She was precariously balancing three bags of shopping in her arms. She quickly looked around her apartment, and internally ground to herself. She hated the fact that she could be a real slob sometimes. But today of all days, it was not something she needed to be thinking about. She simply wanted to be able to click her fingers to magic all the mess away. But of course she knew that wasn't even remotely possible. She sagged her shoulders and made her way to the kitchen. Placing the bags on the counter and quickly making her way through to her room. And the sight that greeted her wasn't any better than the one when she entered her apartment. She literally growled. She wasn't happy with herself. She looked to the clock and saw she had just under two hours to clean and get herself ready.

Jane was getting more and more frustrated with herself. If she had just taken a few minutes each day to clean up a little bit, she wouldn't have to be so highly tensed right now. She walked back into the kitchen where she could also see the living room. She looked around and tried to work out the best way to tackle all of this. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She wasn't the best at forming plans when she was stressed. Under pressure. Not a problem. But stressed out. Her brain tends to get a bit frazzled.

Lucky, Jane didn't really need to do any food prep until Maura got here. So the first thing she did was put all the ingredients away. Either in the fridge or off to the side waiting for later. She then quickly moved to the living room. She needed to do this in a structured form. Planned out and methodical. She started off with all the bottles. She had grabbed a black bag from the kitchen and started shovelling the rubbish into it. From the bottles to the pizza boxes that lounged all around the room. Once all the rubbish was gone from the living room, Jane made quick work of her bedroom. Getting rid of the rubbish bag, she started her way through the clothes that were around the rooms. She started putting some of the washing in the machine, and left the rest in the basket. She looked up to the clock and saw she was now down to less than an hour to get herself ready. She internally groaned once again. Although she would normally take less than ten minutes to get ready. Tonight was no ordinary night. Jane wasn't really sure why she was so anxious about getting ready. She wanted everything to be perfect. But then at the same time, she didn't want to make things awkward. She wanted it to be special, but not different.

Jane jumped in the shower and made sure that every part of her was clean and clear. Getting out of the shower, she went straight to her wardrobe. Jane owned very few dresses. But the ones that she actually does own are the only ones she would be caught dead in. She took the dresses out of the wardrobe and laid the down on the bed. Perusing her options, Jane landed on one dress in particular. It wasn't exactly subtle. It was bright. And vibrant. And although Jane wasn't sure why she bought it in the first place, when she put it on, she knew she had made the right choice. It was a bright yellow, sleeveless dress. Dropped down to just above Jane's knees. It was high necked but split down the middle. It could be done all the way up, but as Jane was putting it on, she only closed it up about halfway up her chest. Jane loved this dress because it made her chest seem bigger than it actually was.

Jane had very little chance to actually look and feel like a woman. She didn't mind. She knew her job wasn't a place for manicures and make-up. But even Jane enjoyed feeling good about herself sometimes. This dress however, made her feel like a woman. Jane knew that as a girl, she wasn't overly blessed. But she had an amazing physique. And this dress managed to make her seem bigger than she actually was. So Jane certainly wasn't going to complain. Jane loved how she felt in this dress, and she wouldn't trade this feeling for anything. Jane looked over at the clock on her dresser and nearly had a heart attack. She had 15 minutes left and she still hadn't even touched her hair yet.

She grabbed her brush and attempted to brush her hair out, and tame it even slightly. It was slightly successful. Her hair was still fairly damp, but much less wild. Not completely straight, but not quite as crazy as it normally is. She went to the bathroom and quickly applied a light amount of make-up. A tiny bit of concealer, and just a smidge lip gloss. She raised her head up to look at herself in the mirror, and a split second later she heard a knock on the door. She turned her head back towards the door, and she could feel her heart beat increase instantly. Jane didn't know why she was so nervous. She had known Maura few a long time now. But everything seemed new to her. Jane didn't know what was going to happen. What the rules are. All she knew was that she wanted tonight to be special. She wanted Maura to be happy. And she wanted to be the cause of that happiness.

Taking one last deep breath, Jane ran her fingers through her hair one last time and made her way towards the door. She stood there for a second before putting her hand on the handle and pulling it open. As the sight of Maura came into view, the air from Jane's lungs became virtually non-existent. The smile that graced Maura's face was priceless. Her smile was brighter than the Northern lights. And Jane never wanted to stop staring at it. It was gorgeous in Jane's opinion.

"Hi." Maura whispered. She was just as nervous as Jane was. Only difference was that Maura was never as good at hiding her emotions. She wore her heart on her sleeve at all times. And although she never regretted her own personality, she did wish that just once she would be able to control herself a little bit better. She normally prided herself on her ability to behave accordingly. But she had no resemblance of control and decorum when she was around Jane. And even less so when Jane looked as good as she did right now.

"Hi." Jane's voice was as quiet as a mouse. She couldn't muster up the strength to be any louder.

"Are you going to invite me in?" Maura asked. She was timid. And shy. And scared as all hell. Jane suddenly jumped at realising she had Maura standing at her door, and she was staring at her like an idiot.

"Oh god. Yeah. Of course. Come in. Make yourself comfortable." Maura started to make her way into the apartment. Jane finally looked at what Maura was wearing. She was wearing a pair of her signature Louboutin heels. Just a simple black. But damn did they look amazing on Maura. She had on a pair of skinny jeans that hugged Maura's legs to perfection. Jane was finding it hard to look away. But as she kept moving her eyes up, they found a new favourite spot to look at. Maura had on a loose fitting, deep red blouse with long sleeves. It very flattering on Maura's figure. But what stops Jane's wondering eyes is the lack of done up buttons. Maura had about three buttons at the top of her shirt that were undone. Which left very little to the imagination. Maura hardly noticed Jane's curious gaze. She made her way further into the apartment and was about to sit down before Jane finally came out of her stupor. "Actually, don't sit down. I'm going to need your help with something." Maura turned back to Jane with a curious look in her eyes.

"What exactly have you got planned?" Jane couldn't help but smile. She closed the door behind her and then leant her back against it.

"What? I don't even get a kiss, before we get down to the nitty gritty." Jane was smirking so hard, she wasn't sure how her lips were still on her face. Without saying a word, Maura turned completely and made her way back towards Jane. Jane didn't move from the door, she simply watched as Maura stalked towards her. When Maura finally stood in front of Jane, They could feel their breaths on each other's faces. Maura pushed herself up on to her tiptoes just that tiny bit more so she could reach Jane's lips.

Jane loved Maura's lips. That was never something Jane thought she would be thinking. But Maura was amazing. And Jane would never want to deny herself such a thing again. The kiss was soft, and gentle. Maura just wanted to feel as much of Jane as Jane would allow. So it surprised her when she felt Jane take her by the waist and pull her closer to her body. Maura felt Jane's grip on her waist tighten and loosen as though Jane was contemplating something. Turns out she finally came to a decision. Maura gasped when she felt Jane's tongue brushing across her lips. That small gasp allowed Jane to slide her tongue into Maura's mouth. Tentatively moving her tongue over Maura's. Jane was nervous, but she wanted to explore. She was beginning to learn that she had deeper feelings for Maura than she had initially thought. And she wanted to know how deep this river ran.

Maura kept her hands firm against Jane's shoulders. As though she was trying to ground herself to this moment. To make sure that what was happening was actually happening. That she wasn't just dreaming. When she felt Jane bite her lip gently, she pulled back with a small yelp. Looking into the deep brown eyes before her, she knew that this was real. That she was just kissing Jane, and that she would never want to stop smiling. She never wanted to stop smiling. But the small pain in her lip made her realise that she maybe should stop smiling.

"Sorry." Jane whispered. She had a sheepish smirk on her face. She didn't really know why she bit Maura's lip, but she loved the reaction she got from doing so. Hearing Maura yelp was rather pleasing for her. And the look she received only made it harder for her to not laugh.

"As you should be." Maura stated still glaring at Jane. When Jane still didn't respond though, Maura wrapped her arms around Jane's neck to hold her close before changing the subject. "So what exactly do you need my help with then?" Maura asked. Jane smiled down at Maura and then gently kissed her on the nose.

"Well, the bet said that you would have to eat whatever I chose and you can't complain about it if I win." Maura huffed.

"I remember the bet. But what is your point?" Maura was really bothered by Jane at this point. How could a woman be so romantic at one point, and then completely infuriating the next?

"And if you won, then I would have to help you make whatever you want and I couldn't complain about whatever we were making." Maura was beginning to get very confused now.

"Where are you going with this?!" She was beyond infuriated. She hated being taunted in such a way that didn't make her feel bad, but she didn't get to be let in on the fun either.

"Well, I figured since you did so well on the bet anyway," Jane grabbed Maura's hand and pulled her through to the kitchen. "We could compromise on the outcome."

"What do you mean?" Maura asked with furrowed brows. Never removing her eyes from Jane.

"I figured we could make my choice of dinner together and neither one of us gets to complain about any of it." Jane said timidly. Slightly concerned about how Maura would take the proposition. But when Maura just smiled and kissed Jane on the nose as Jane had done to her earlier, Jane was able to breathe once again.

"Something tells me we aren't going to want to complain about anything. So there will be nothing to worry about. Assuming that you have chosen to cook something at least remotely healthy." Maura kept her hands firm against the small of Jane's back. She never wanted to let Jane go.

"I actually have. We are going to be making, from scratch, our very own pizza with garlic bread and a side salad. Sound pleasing enough?" Jane was content in the moment. Comfortable with how things were going.

"I can certainly think of more pleasing things." The red that coloured Jane's cheeks could rival that of a tomato. "But I suppose I can settle with the food for now." Maura released Jane from her grip although Jane was still slightly frozen in place. When Maura saw the look of almost horror on Jane's face, she couldn't help but smile slightly. "Sorry." She laughed out gently. She was making her way over to the fridge when Jane finally came out of her initial shock.

"Don't be. I just wasn't really expecting that." Jane turned and started grabbing the ingredients to make the base of the pizza. Grabbing a bowl from the top cupboard, she made her way back to the counter. With the ingredients laid out in front of her, Jane clapped her hands together and looked over to Maura who was still standing by the fridge. "Come here." Jane commanded. Maura pushed off the fridge and made her way over to stand next to Jane by the counter. Giving her a little push with her hip as she shuffled up next to her.

"So what am I doing to help?" Maura asked. Jane couldn't help but smile. This all seemed so natural. So right. Jane wasn't sure why they hadn't done this any sooner.

"Can you get me 650 ml of warm water? Hot enough that it warms your skin a bit, but not so hot that it burns you. And then can you bring it to me please?" Maura simply gave her a gentle nod and got to it. The water didn't take long to warm up. And once she finally managed to get the water just right, she brought the jug back over to Jane. The bowl now full of flour and salt. There was a container full of yeast and sugar.

"One jug of lukewarm water. Ready for use." Maura placed the jug down on the counter next to Jane and then watched as Jane got to work.

"Thank you." Jane poured the water into the yeast and sugar. After a quick stir to mix them together, she mixed in with the flour and salt in the bowl. Jane mixed the ingredients together until the dough became too thick to mix with the spoon. Putting the spoon down on the counter, she looked over to Maura to realise that she hadn't actually looked away yet. Maura couldn't look away from the way Jane was working. And Jane was so proud about the fact that she had such power over the woman she cared for so much. "Maura?" Maura practically jumped out of her skin.

"Sorry. I was just…" She trailed off not really sure what she was doing.

"No worries." Jane spread some flower over the counter and started pulling the dough out of the bowl. "But now Doctor Isles, are you ready to get your hands dirty." Maura was rather confused. She had never made her own pizza before so she wasn't entirely sure what Jane wanted to do next. Seeing the confused look on Maura's face, Jane couldn't help but laugh gently. Dumping the dough down on the table, she turned to Maura. "Give me your hands." Jane commanded. Maura hesitated slightly before putting her hands out in front of her. Jane turned and grabbed a handful of flour from the bag. She sprinkled it over Maura's hands.

"What are you doing?!" Maura was practically outraged. Granted she would dig around in bodies all day, but she wore gloves. She never actually touched anything. Maura loved to keep her hands clean. She took major issue in having any kind of mess on her hands.

"Okay if you are freaking out on me because of a little flour, then you are going to hate me for this."

"What are you…?" Before Maura could finish her question, Jane grabbed her hand and pulled her in front of her. Maura now pressed between Jane and the counter. Jane reached around Maura and took her hands in her own. Threading her fingers through Maura's, she guided Maura's hands down to the dough. Maura was trying to pull back and move away, but Jane wasn't giving anything. Jane pressed herself further into Maura. Gripping her hand tighter around Maura's. When she pressed further into Maura, Maura let out a small gasp. She hadn't exactly expected Jane to do this. As happy as she is that Jane suggested this, she could never have imagined that this would be the outcome.

"Are you alright?" Jane whispered into Maura's ear. The breath caused a shudder to run down Maura's spine. She was really struggling to control herself. She was surprised she wasn't just a puddle of mush on the floor already.

"Yes." Her voice was barely above a whisper. But Jane heard it. Slowly, Jane started moving her own and Maura's hands over the dough. Kneading it in preparation to be cooked. Maura loved the feel of Jane's hands over her own. Jane was strong, yet so gentle with Maura. "Your hands are so strong Jane. They have been through so much, but still they work so well." Maura was looking down at the hands holding her own as they worked the dough.

"They aren't that strong. Although people believe the tongue is the strongest muscle in the body. Whilst that may be true for humans across the board, the womb is in fact the strongest muscle in the body. Considering it has to be able to hold a foetus for 9 months I guess it would make sense that it is the strongest muscle in the female body." Jane rattled off, much like Maura would when in a nervous situation.

"I never really noticed it before, but listening to you now, I understand what you mean when you say I sound like google. You rattle off information that has almost no relevance, and no need in the current convocation." Jane suddenly became very conscious of the fact that she was speaking like a genius. She hated being judged for it. And although Maura hadn't intended it to sound as such, Jane felt like she was 10 years old all over again. Jane's hands stilled over Maura's. When Maura noticed that Jane's hands were no longer working with her own, she turned her face to the side to see the sadness that had overcome Jane's face. And her heart stopped. "Jane?"

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 **A/N – I'm sorry you guys, but I had to split this chapter up into two. I kept writing, and then I realised I was already at 4000 words. And I refused to go any higher than 5000. So at 4700 words I shall leave you, until next time. Next chapter will be the rest of the date. If any of the information I put in this story is incorrect, PM me and I can try and correct it. Thanks again. Please review. Goodbye my lovelies.**


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